Sometimes Ignorance Rings True AU ML
by Kitcat26
Summary: Another one of those ML best friends first lovers later stories. Slightly based on Whatever It Takes.
1. Part One

Title: "Sometimes Ignorance Rings True"  
  
Author: Kitcat26  
  
Summary: Liz Parker and Max Evans have been best friends forever. But one bet, and one chance for Max to finally obtain the person of his dreams backfires on him and leads them places he never thought he'd be. Slightly based upon the movie, "Whatever It Takes" (Shane West is sooo cute!) but I promise to be original as possible. And urm, don't kill me, but Max is slightly obsessed with Tess in the beginning. ::ducks as bottles and tomatoes get chucked at her head:: But that will QUICKLY change. ::watches as grumbling readers lower rotten fruit slowly:: Thank you.  
  
Rating/Pairings: PG-13-R. M/L of course (in the end, I swear it will be!) Perhaps I shall drag up other CC as I see fit.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Actually, whose is it right now, in light of the (vedy vedy stupid) cancellation? It's debatable. Nonetheless, this is purely for my own enjoyment, and hopefully yours as well.  
  
Authors Note: ((Groan)) She's starting ANOTHER fic?? Good God, WHY? Well, two reasons actually. I am finally in the home stretch for my first story (Arabian Nights) and decided since that form of stress is about to be alleviated, I might as well find a replacement. Plus summers almost upon us, so why the hell not? I warn you now, dear readers, I am HORRID with prompt updates (I see my SOF and HBU fans nodding their heads in profuse agreement. Oh and TON fans are probably right along their with them.) so bare with me for these next two and ½ weeks while I am still held hostage…errr still attending school. All righty? Yes well, do get on reading. Oh and the title comes from the Switchfoot song, "You," posted below.  
  
There's always something in the way  
  
There's always something getting through  
  
But it's not me  
  
It's you  
  
Sometimes ignorance rings true  
  
But hope is not what I know  
  
Not in me  
  
In you  
  
It's all I know  
  
I find peace when I'm confused  
  
I find hope when I'm let down  
  
Not in me  
  
But in you  
  
It's in you  
  
I hope to lose myself for good  
  
I hope to find it in the end  
  
Not in me  
  
In you  
  
It's all I know  
  
[b]"Sometimes Ignorance Rings True" [/b]  
  
~*~ POV~*~  
  
[b]MAX[/b]  
  
Slacking off.  
  
The ultimate power of possessing the rights of the lusted after position of being an "upper classmen."  
  
Older.  
  
(For some of us; the minority at least) Wiser.  
  
But most of all, oh yeah, most of all it is…  
  
Changes.  
  
Ah, yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you, the beginning of the much debated, yet legendary senior year. Where the infamous little pest, the senior-ittis bug, has already been very busy infecting people. Hell, some of them aren't even seniors.  
  
This is the year where everything is going to be different, where everything is going to…change…to modify its very existence. This is the year where something is going to go MY way for once. This is the year I am finally going to get Tess Harding, West Roswell's IT girl, the center of every crowd, the life of every party, to notice me, Max Evans, current nameless face in the crowd, whose only achievements worth noticing is the fact that I am best friend to this year's salutatorian/valedictorian candidate, Liz Parker. And even that is barely worth the effort, as intellectually talented people don't compare to the athletically or beautifully talented people who happen to rule the school. Tess being one of them.  
  
Not that I am snubbing Liz or anything. On the contrary, it's an outstanding and well-deserved reward for all the things Liz has done to get there. It's just the sad, sad truth, that to many, that just doesn't matter if you don't retain relation with the royal court of West Roswell's popular court.  
  
Umm, anyways. The point is that I am going to win Tess over by Prom Time, even though I have yet to figure out how. I just know that I am going to do it, damnit!  
  
And why not? After this it's over. My last chance to do anything about my "unhealthy obsession," as Liz likes to call it. But then again, I never asked Ms. Cynic what she thought about it. Nevertheless, she was oh too happy to spout off freely just EXACTLY what she thinks about Tess, and everything she stands for with the "in-crowd." Not that I disagree with anything Liz has to say about the quote un quote "populars" that rule the school in a disgusting hierarchy of whose got the newest, coolest brand of whatsit on their back, but Tess…she isn't like that. At least, I don't think so. What Liz thinks is a different story.  
  
As you might already be able to tell, Liz and I have never been in the inner circle. Never wanted to. That is, I never wanted to until Tess moved here sophmore year. Before, I was all too happy to crack remarks with my best friend about Whatsherface's cheating boyfriend, who got in a cat fight with who on the quad, and how much it must suck to live among the fake and phony. Actually, I STILL am content to complain about the anarchy of society with Liz.  
  
But I digress.  
  
If I don't do something about Tess this year, than I'll end up at an elderly mad house, with prunes dribbling down my chin as I incoherently babble and moan about lost opportunities.  
  
Actually, substitute the prunes for Doritos and the old folks home for high school (both each with their share of deranged psychos) and that's basically the story of my life.  
  
And that, my friends, is about to change.  
  
~*~Part One~*~  
  
Max Evans stepped through his window and onto the little porch to look across the way towards Liz's balcony. He sighed. He couldn't sleep. Again. Tomorrow was the first day of senior year, and he was giddy with excitement with thoughts and plans for the promising year resounding through his humming brain.  
  
Plus that combination of coca-cola and Tabasco sauce he had earlier didn't really do wonders for his lack of exhaustion.  
  
He glanced inside his room at the faintly glowing digital clock and sighed in disgust.  
  
Almost two A.M.  
  
He should probably get to sleep so he didn't scare the crap out of Tess in the morning. He was planning to at least talk to her or something, to warm up the still scattered plans that were hopping around in his mind. He could see it now; blonde curls whirling about as Tess frantically ran, not walked, screaming in the other direction, shrieking expletives about crazy stalkers with miffed hair and baggy eyes.  
  
Max silently groaned. You knew it was time for bed when you were hallucinating worst-case scenarios and becoming more and more anal by the second. For crying out loud, he was a guy. Guys didn't obsess the way he was currently doing. That's what girls did. Like his sister, Isabel, and the way she was with…well everything…from Christmas to her makeup, Izzy was a proud perfectionist. And also, like the way Liz was with her volunteering, and her studies. You were asking to get your hand bit off if you cracked jokes about the nursing home /hospital/orphanage where she worked, or if you interrupted her reading. Max knew this all too well, he thought while looking ruefully at his hand in memory.  
  
And now, Liz and Isabel's nature was rubbing off on him. Lord, he needed to start spending more time with Michael, Alex and Kyle. Yea, get that testosterone pumping.  
  
And yet, being best friends with a girl was…quite refreshing actually. Liz knew him better than he knew himself, and visa versa. You didn't get that same friendship, that same CONNECTION with other guys.  
  
No, what you got where belching contests (Proud two-time winner, Max nodded with satisfaction), and boisterous hockey games (those DAMN FU***** Refs don't know what in the HELL they are talking about! Jeez, are they BLIND?!). Which were okay. Hell, they were great, and fun, and they gave Max the illusion of a semi normal social life (um, right).  
  
But his relationship with Liz gave him something…more. Max couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew without a doubt, that he wouldn't give up his friendship with Liz for anything. It would be like disowning Isabel; only he would feel more remorse. He'd known Liz almost as long as he'd known Isabel, who was a year younger than him. Perhaps longer…at least it FELT like longer…  
  
Max's gaze floated once more to Liz's balcony.  
  
Hmm.  
  
To risk the wrath of Liz Parker, and wake her up?  
  
Or be a good best friend, and let Liz receive her beauty sleep?  
  
Max smirked. He never was a good best friend when it came to annoying Liz.  
  
What?! She was funny when she got all pissed and huffy. Her eyes darkened with fire, and her mouth got all thin…  
  
Max chuckled silently with malice before picking up his dependable flashlight (which was always on the bench on his veranda, especially for occasions such as these. Memories of past whispered conversations into the night flitted through Max's brain for an instant), and flipped it on, shinning it blatantly through the darkened glass.  
  
"Come on," Max muttered under his breath. Liz was never a light sleeper when you wanted her to be. Like the time, when was it…six or seven years ago, Max had intents to smear shaving cream all over Liz's hands and then to tickle her face with a feather…nope then she had to wake up at every little stimuli, eventually catching Max red handed, with the shaving cream poised up high and ready, and then afterwards promptly proceeded to throttle him severely… (With friends like these…).  
  
Of course tonight, when he actually wanted to use that irritating quality for his favor, she had to sleep like a fricking log. A log. Hmm, that phrase didn't exactly make sense. Log's didn't sleep, so therefore, how could a person sleep like a log…just exactly who…  
  
Max growled in frustration. This was bad. Being left alone with his sleep deprived thoughts couldn't possibly be considered healthy. He needed some human interaction, and he needed it NOW before his brain was effectively turned into mush. And right before the beginning of senior year, too. Yup, someone up there REALLY had it in for Max.  
  
Just as he was about to contemplate the possibility of jumping from his balcony to hers (what!? It was only a few feet…well a few five feet anyways…), a light came on in Liz's bedroom. Max whooped silently, simultaneously praying that that it was JUST Liz that he awoke, and not her single father. Jeff Parker would rip off Max's head and eat it for breakfast (though perhaps at this hour, it would be a midnight snack…) if he caught Max annoying Lizzie at some God-awful hour again.  
  
The white-framed French doors to Liz's room shot open, and a robe clad, sleepy yet irate Liz Parker stepped out onto her balcony. She threw Max a russet hued evil eye, one that was well known for halting unwitting irritators to the point of submission.  
  
Not so for Max, however, who just grinned impishly at the livid expression before him. He noted with glee that he had succeeded in procuring the adorable little wrinkle between Liz's forehead, an act that rarely occurred. 'Score…' Max thought fleetingly.  
  
"What in the name of pantyhose are you doing shinning the God-forsaken BRIGHT light in my eye for?! MAX! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Liz sighed in exasperation. "Tell me, WHAT exactly is so damn important that you can't wait till morning to share with me?" Liz paused for a millisecond, not nearly enough time for Max to blink, let alone reply, before going on. "I swear to God, if you're just doing this to get a rise out of me, I am going to…"  
  
"Too late, I already achieved "getting a rise out of you" status. Your forehead's crinkled," Max grinned again, enjoying the way Liz's normally smooth collected face contorted with anger. Before she could blast him one, balcony or no balcony, Max held up his hands in a truce. "Kidding! Jeez," he laughed at the sour expression on her face.  
  
Liz blew out a breath of aggravated air and then became concerned. "What's up, then? Nothing's wrong, is it, Max?" Her large brown eyes grew round with worry.  
  
Max pretended to muse for a minute before answering in a deadpan, "Well, actually, yes. Lately I have been seriously questioning my sanity, among other things…"  
  
Liz smirked and snorted before replying, "Besides that,"  
  
Max sighed, and looked away for a minute. He had never had trouble in talking to Liz before, but right now, he found he couldn't find the right words to tell her what his plans and anxiety were over. God, he must be more nervous about what he was going to do then he thought…for the life of him, he could not find the right thing to say that would make him sound less pathetic than he actually was…  
  
"Max," Liz broke in, bringing him back to reality and away from his befuddled thoughts. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" She asked in all seriousness.  
  
Max smiled his patented half smile and nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "I know…"  
  
Liz grinned. "Good. Now spit it out before I am forced to vault on over there and beat it out of you."  
  
Max shook his head in surrender. "You know, the only reason I tell you everything is because I know the last statement to be more true than its own good."  
  
Liz laughed. "Very good. Now speak! Its late."  
  
Max lugged in a big breath and quickly filled Liz on his plans and hopes for senior year, and, more importantly, his plotting involving Tess. He finished, looked up, and dared to take in her reaction. He knew it was going to take a while for Liz to get over the fact that he was, in all actuality, SERIOUS about his infatuation with Tess. As he gazed up, he noted a peculiar, unreadable look upon Liz's face. He paused and tilted his head at her, his amber eyes narrowing as he tried to decipher her look. Did she think it was stupid? That HE was stupid? Momentarily, his gut churned and his heart lurched.  
  
"Umm, Liz? You in there?" He asked tentatively. All of a sudden, the strange look disappeared so rapidly that Max wondered briefly if he had imagined it…  
  
"Uhh, yeah…yeah…I just…" Liz stumbled for the correct words. Max shrugged it off, beginning to do some serious backpedaling.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right. It's a psycho plan. I don't even know why I thought of it. I mean, there's like no way in HELL that someone like Tess would look twice at someone like me. I just gotta…accept it or something…Urgh, I must be in more need of sleep than I thought. Thanks anyway Liz, I'm just gonna…" Max rambled on blinding, not quite sure of what he was saying.  
  
Liz waved her hands in exasperation. "Um, hi! I'm still here you know, not that you need another person to converse with. You lost that necessity five minutes ago."  
  
Max thrust his hands roughly through his already tossed raven hair. "Yea, sorry. I tend to get along quite well with myself," he said, trying to hit his usual light tone, and failing miserably.  
  
Liz tried to hide her smile. "Yeah, um, that's great Max, but…are you ready to hear what I think now instead of jumping the gun and going from zero to sixty seconds in no time flat?"  
  
Max threw her a wry smile and nodded.  
  
Liz stared off into space for a few more minutes. She sighed deeply; one would never have thought that just one person could exhale so much air. She stared hard at Max, and began. "First of all, are SURE that this is a good idea, Max? I mean, no offense, but Tess runs with the elite if you know what I mean, as much as it sickens me to say it…" Liz scowled. Damn high school politics and the shallowness of it all…  
  
Max nodded his head in agreement slowly. "Yeah, I know. It's quite blatant."  
  
Liz felt a laugh bubbling in her throat. She tossed Max an amused glance. "Whoo, someone's found a friend in the thesaurus." She quipped.  
  
Max's mouth curved upwards. "No, actually. Who needs a thesaurus when I have a walking talking Einstein living next door…?"  
  
Liz rolled her doe eyes. "Why thank you. I'm touched…I think…"  
  
"Anytime. Anyways, you were saying…"  
  
Liz bit her lip, and paused for a few more. "Its just…I-I don't want to see you get hurt…and that's a real possibility here. I'd give you the mathematical ratio but its two A.M…."  
  
Max sighed loudly. "I know. I know, I know. But I've thought about this. I don't want to waste my last year at West Roswell, and then be haunted by 'what if's'. I WANT this, Liz. You have no idea how much…"  
  
Max thought he saw a flash of pain rush across Liz's features, but he disregarded it when she started to speak, her face normal once again. "Well, if you really want it…" She broke off, gazing up at the night sky, a sheen of black, dotted with bright stars, before finishing. "Then…go for it, Max. If anyone deserves something to go their way, its you." She smiled tightly.  
  
A grin broke out across Max's face. "You think so?" he asked happily.  
  
Liz nodded and then looked pointed at her bedroom. "Yea. Listen Max are you good now? Because if I am going to drive you tomorrow, I need my rest. I don't need to run off the road, and bash us into a mailbox, or even better, into the principal's car again…" She trailed off, grimacing as she remembered junior year.  
  
Max jumped up. "Oh, yea, I good now. I'll let you get your much needed beauty sleep," he teased gently. Liz rolled her eyes, giving a halfhearted "haha" before turning towards her room. Max too went to enter his room again, when he turned back suddenly. "Hey Liz…" he called out softly.  
  
Liz spun slightly, her hand coming to rest on the edge of the double French doors. "Yea Max…?" She asked in a tired tone.  
  
Max smiled slightly, his eyes soft. "Thanks," he said humbly, trying to say so much with one look. "I don't know where'd I'd be with out my best friend."  
  
Liz nodded curtly. "Yea. No problem. Now, if you don't mind…" She stifled a yawn.  
  
"Sure, sure. Good night Liz. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. Night, Max." Liz closed the doors, quietly, yet firmly.  
  
Max collapsed upon his bed, smiling to himself as he fell into a deep sleep, his dreams full of promise…  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b]LIZ[/b]  
  
Regrets.  
  
The unfathomable 'what ifs' of everyday life.  
  
The unavoidable compunction that rears its head at the most inopportune of times.  
  
The cursing of life's cruel attempts at a joke. (Not funny, might I add).  
  
Ah, yes. Welcome to my glorious life.  
  
I thought I was over the foolish 'feelings' that rose up last year. I thought I had gotten over whatever stupid sentimentality woke up within me whenever I had the thought of my best friend come within a few feet of my thoughts.  
  
'I did! I did!' I try desperately to convince myself, a ploy that worked in the past.  
  
Question is, is it working now?  
  
That would be a negative.  
  
WHY. Why, why, why, why? Why did this have to come up now? Its senior year. Next year I'll be attending Stanford, and Max is most likely on his way to UCLA, or, if his dad gets his way, Berkley. This is it. My last chance to vanquish these demons, or do something about them, hence the 'most inopportune times' comment.  
  
This quite literally, for lack of better terms, sucks big.  
  
I mean, why Tess? Why the poster girl for everything that is wrong with society today? (Ok so I am a bit harsh and melodramatic, but it IS two A.M. so just deal. That's what I'm doing. Or trying to anyways). It couldn't be anyone else, could it. No, that would be too easy on me. Lord knows that it would be ludicrous if Liz Parker's life resembled just a smidgeon of normalcy. I worked my ass off to become a candidate for salutatorian/valedictorian, I volunteered an insane amount of hours, I help my dad deal with Mom's long since departure, and I oh so generously give out advice to my friends-especially to Max. Even when it hurts me to say it, that I'd rather someone take out their keys and stab me with them.  
  
Morbid much? Why, yes thank you. My violent tendencies rise to the surface whilst I lay awake, unable to sleep though its two A.M.  
  
The point is (Yes, I would actually have a point. But am I getting to it…) this was supposed to be the year where nothing changed. Everything had been going my way. I had come out on top, my future looking bright for the duration of senior year. I had finally found a solid existence. I had been ready to cost on through, ready to taste the rewards for my arduous work. I had liked my life the way it was before these icky feelings, before Max decided to grow a spine, before everything went down the big vat of a poo hole. I liked it better when I was ignorant and unknowing.  
  
Can I crawl back into my little black hole of ambiguity? Please?  
  
I liked it better in there… 


	2. Parts Two and Three

~*~POV~*~  
  
[b]MAX [/b]  
  
Have you ever had a moment where you dread what's going to happen next with an icy foreboding?  
  
Have you ever had a moment where you eagerly anticipate what's going to happen next with a fervent excitement?  
  
Mesh those two moments together, and Wha-la.  
  
In a molded concoction, I present to you the first day of senior year..  
  
And the first day of the rest of my life.  
  
I can't wait for today. Today I am finally going to show the world that "HA! Yes, Evans does in fact walk among you, and he is going to conquer the world, one frickin step at a time, by first obtaining the affection of Tess Harding!" Victory is just in reach. The question is, do I have the balls to grab onto it?  
  
I am also dreading today. For all my pep talk last night about "Yea, go get 'em Evans!" I am quite terrified. What if it doesn't work? What if she laughs at me?  
  
What if she figures out what I am slowly piecing together- the fact that I am turning into a ten-year-old jerk with an unhealthy preoccupation?  
  
Hmm. Perhaps this LAST day of the rest of my life. For in order for the day to begin off nicely, you first have to.wake up.  
  
Why is it that nothing ever goes according my handy dandy little planner agenda book thingy (the one with the cutesy little Warner Bros. Cartoons on the cover.What? The Roswell Supply Shop has poor selection. It was either that or one with Pokemon on the cover.gotta catch em all. Good God, how do I know this stuff. I'm so thrilled that I have this useless information stored in my brain. Not.)?  
  
Have you ever had a moment where you were paralyzed, where horror stole your breath? A moment where you could only say, in the most blatant of senses."Oh SHIT!"  
  
Yes, well welcome to my world.  
  
~*~Part Two~*~ [A/N I apologize in advance for this first bit.it had to come out..]  
  
Blonde hair curling around his fingers. Clear blue eyes gazing suggestively into his own amber ones. Red ruby lips curving up and pouting.so close to his own.they open slightly to murmur softly to him.he eagerly leaned forward in attempts to hold onto her every word (well and that, and to get a bit CLOSER.)  
  
"Wake up Max," she said in extreme irritation.  
  
Max wrinkled his brow in confusion. Huh? That wasn't the sound of Tess's voice. No, it sounded more like.  
  
"Max! I am not going to wait around for your lazy ass to get up. Isabel left all ready with Alex and Kyle, so if you want a ride, GET GOING,"  
  
All of a sudden the golden beauty that had been in front of him morphed into a more petite, brown haired.  
  
Liz?  
  
What the hell was Liz doing in his Tess fantasy?  
  
Wait a minute. What was HE doing in his Tess fantasy? Shouldn't he be out making that dream a reality? And more importantly, for his Tess fantasy to be a Tess fantasy.where was TESS?  
  
"MAX!"  
  
Max jerked awake, twisting in his sheets, as a loud frustrated voice penetrated through his sleepy thoughts, effectively snapping him out of his dream-ridden state. Unfortunately, in his shock, Max jerked a little too far, promptly flailing forward to land with a loud THUD on his hardwood floor. He laid there for a minute, absorbing the fall, as his face smooshed into the ground.  
  
Owwww.  
  
Well la-de-da. You knew it was going to be a bad day when the first thing that you did was fall flat on your ass. Splendid. What an uncanny way to start off the day.  
  
For the love of God, now he was RYHMING.  
  
As Liz spoke, he could clearly hear the smirk in her voice. "Smooth Maxwell, real graceful."  
  
Max groaned loudly, throwing off the blue hued sheet, which had followed him down on his fall. He shivered slightly at the loss of warmth, rubbing his bare arms, and pounding on his naked chest as if to correct whatever damage he had received from the clumsy fall off of his bed. He heard Liz's sharp intake of breath and whirled around to face her. She appeared to be clenching her jaw, looking at her sandal clad feet. He thought her heard her soft cursing.something about damn feelings?  
  
Huh?  
  
Max yawned. He must not be fully awake yet.  
  
Max rubbed his eyes as if to remove the cloudy fuzzy sleepy thoughts and to bring the present into a bit more focus. "Hey. What's wrong?" he asked, thoroughly concerned. Liz didn't look so good.  
  
Liz took a deep breath and merely pointed at the clock, still refusing to look at him. He wondered briefly at her strange behavior..  
  
And then followed her hand and cursed loudly.  
  
"SHIT!"  
  
He had less than five minutes to be out the door if he and Liz wanted to be there on time.  
  
Liz waltzed out of his room. "I'll be waiting outside. If you're not out there in exactly four minutes, I'm leaving, and your walking."  
  
Psh.  
  
Empty threat.  
  
Still, Max immediately scrambled around his room, scouring it closely for a shirt and pants. God DAMNIT, why didn't he own anything CLEAN! Argh, Isabel was right, it was high time he learned how to do his own laundry. Although last time his lousy attempts had been a complete disaster. Three Words.  
  
TOO  
  
MUCH  
  
SOAP  
  
= BAD  
  
Ahh, the lessons in life.  
  
One of those lessons being punctuality.  
  
Shit, Shit, shit, shit, shit.  
  
He rapidly threw on a shirt, tugged some pants on over his boxers, while tripping over his accordion.  
  
Yes, you heard right.  
  
Accordion.  
  
Not a soul knew except for Isabel, Michael and Liz, all of which were loyally sworn to secrecy.  
  
Urm, well, he DID have to do the dishes for a month to keep Isabel's mouth shut, and he WAS down twenty bucks thanks to Michael's insisting blackmail..  
  
Yea, he needed new friends.  
  
But Liz.  
  
Liz LIKED it. Thought it was."cute." She always sighed in contentment when his mom told her the story of how Phillip Evans would always play "Melt With You," softly, sweetly.until Diane forgave him for whatever crap he pulled.  
  
Well, that's what the accordion was used for NOW. Back in the day (i.e. A million years ago.) when Philip and Diane were, ick, HIS age, his dad would serenade his mom. THAT'S what got Liz all 'sigh-y.'  
  
To tell the truth, Max kind of LIKED playing it too. It was slightly.calming.plus it made him feel more connected to his father.the same father with whom Max had never had a steady relationship with since he was five. Yea, that guy.  
  
Max sighed. Now was so NOT the time to go down memory lane.  
  
Time. TIME. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..  
  
Grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his broad shoulder, he quickly thrust a comb through his hair, causing his hair to fall slightly over his eyes, in what Isabel liked to call, his "innocent yet alluring" look.  
  
Girls.  
  
Max raced for the door, but stopped outside the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth, and turned to go.and then turned back. Hesitating, he quickly contemplated his options. Should he put on cologne? Or was that a bit much?  
  
"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN."  
  
Max rolled his eyes and continued on his trek for the door, his decision made for him. Making his way to the car in rapid timing, he slammed the door to Liz's VW Rabbit, and turned to face her.  
  
"Let's roll, we're gonna be late,"  
  
Liz snorted and backed out of the Evan's driveway. "Indeed, Mr. High and Mighty! Never mind the fact that YOU'RE the reason that we're going to be late." She picked up her coffee and slurped noisily.  
  
Max nodded indolently at her. "Jeez calm down. Its not like you've never overslept before; get your panties out of their bunch."  
  
Liz sputtered into her coffee, trying hard not to spit it out all over the dashboard (because God knows it was a bitch to get sugary liquid out of your car.). In her efforts to contain the liquid, she became subject to a major choking fit.  
  
Alarmed, Max hastily took the cup from her, and rubbed her back gently. "You ok?" he asked softly.  
  
Tears were in Liz's eyes, results of her lack of air and massive choking spaz. "Just peachy," she managed to gasp out, her body returning to normal, now that her trachea was free of the intruding liquid. "Damn epiglottis, why did God give us them if they don't work?"  
  
Max grinned. Oh, yea, she was fine if she was complaining using Biology terms. "Hmm, perhaps I should drive then." He asked innocuously.  
  
Liz narrowed her brown eyes. "Nuh nuh, Evans. Don't even think about it. Don't think I forgot about the LAST time I handed over my keys."  
  
Max grumbled good-naturedly. "A little run in with Mr. Garbage Can. Nothing to flip out about...You'd think you'd let it go already."  
  
Liz mock glared at him, taking a rapid glance from off the road. "LITTLE? As I recall, the bumper was completely unhinged! And needless to say," Liz pretended to sniffle, "Mr. Garbage Can no longer walks among us."  
  
Max laughed. "As [I] I[/I] recall, Mr. Garbage Can never walked in the first place."  
  
Liz turned towards him slightly, her eyes serious. "That's what you think," she deadpanned.  
  
It took a minute, and both burst out laughing.  
  
Still chucking softly a few seconds later, Max thought of something. "So I was thinking about something, and I'm not sure if I should talk to Tess before classes, or wait until lunch."  
  
Liz ceased laughing immediately, a slight frown on her face. She stared at the red light like it was the most interesting thing in the world.  
  
Max furrowed his brow a bit. "Liz?" he asked. "Did you hear m.."  
  
"Yea," Liz cut him off. "I heard you," she turned towards him again, a strained smile on her face. "Umm, you should probably." She bit her lip. "Uhh, it would probably be best if you.if you.you know what, I suck at this sort of thing. Maybe you should wait and ask Michael or Kyle and Alex when we get to hell-er school." She focused her attention back on the road.  
  
Max shook his head. "Nuh uh. Last time I did what they thought I should do, I ended up down fifty bucks and a large yak at the door, much to the pleasure and confusion of my delightful parents,"  
  
Liz smirked. "That will teach you guys from ordering something from a foreign shopping network again,"  
  
Max rolled his eyes. "I still don't get how the guy got "yak" from "baseball bat,"  
  
Liz pursed her lips together. "Another one of life's many mysteries." She trailed off, seeming to contemplate other mysteries, not necessarily ones that revolved around beasts and sports.  
  
They rode the rest of the way in silence. It was similar to the comfortable silences that they were used to, but this time.  
  
This time it seemed.charged with something different.  
  
Max shook his head and disregarded it as apprehension of what he was about to do.  
  
~*~  
  
"Another dream about Tess Harding, huh man?" Kyle Valenti slung his arm haphazardly around Max, as Max filled them in on his senior "plan."  
  
Max threw Kyle an annoyed look. "NO, that's not why I decided to do this," he paused. "But yea, another one this morning."  
  
Liz tossed Max a disgusted look. "Is THAT why you were late?" Oh god, she SO did not want to think about that. Eww, he had been dreaming about Tess while she had been in his room. While she had been fantasizing about his quite bare (and quite sculpted) chest, he had been drooling over Tess in his dreams. That would be what you called, severely messed up. Ick, it was bad enough that he had to drool over her in the daytime, but at night too?  
  
'Stop it, stop it. You don't care remember?'  
  
Liz blinked hard to shut out her thoughts and focused her attention back to the gang.  
  
Alex Whitman whistled loudly. "Whoo doggie!" He winked and nudged Max's side suggestively. "Tell me everything man. Was I in this one?"  
  
Isabel Evans rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Something must be seriously wrong with you if you WANT to be in my poor misguided brothers sex fantasies..eww my brother has sex fantasies.oh god, new topic please!" Isabel looked quite revolted.  
  
Alex grinned and pulled his girlfriend closer to him. "No worries, the only person's dream I want to be in is yours," He pulled her in for a sloppy kiss.  
  
Michael Guerin grimaced. "Yuck, someone save us from the blatant display of PDA"  
  
Maria Deluca smacked her boyfriend playfully. Urm, well it SEEMED playfully. The wince that Michael gave off proved it was not. Well, that and everyone present knew that when you pissed off Maria, you ran not walked, to the nearest exit, not looking back. "What you SHOULD be doing is taking some notes on how to treat your girlfriend properly," she huffed before turning her attention on Max.  
  
Maria pierced Liz with a rapid glance before beginning. Liz was a bit taken aback. What was that for?  
  
"I just don't know what you see in her, Max!" Maria went on. "I mean, sure, she's got a great body."  
  
Kyle smirked. "Whoa ho ho! Maria wants Tess Harding's bod-y!" He wiggled his eyebrow up and down suggestively. He and Alex burst out laughing, both unfortunately for the rest of the group sharing the same quirky humor. They were silenced; only by the murderous look that Michael flashed their way (well that, and the death glare coming off of Maria wasn't too shabby either.).  
  
"What I MEAN is," Maria continued irritatingly, "is that.Max, well, you could do so much better."  
  
At her words the whole entire group sobered, and to Liz's great incredulity, Alex and Kyle proceeded to give her the same concerned look.  
  
'What the hell..?  
  
What was their problem?  
  
Oh, god.  
  
They didn't.  
  
They couldn't.  
  
I mean, NO ONE knew. not even Liz HERSELF fully knew.  
  
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.'  
  
"Yea, Max," Isabel was saying. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
  
"You're asking to get hurt for this one." Michael added.  
  
Max's shoulders slumped, as did Liz's heart. God, she HATED seeing him like this. It was just.WRONG. She sighed. She knew what she was about to do was stupid, and potentially self mutilating.  
  
Max looked at her with a pleading look. The wounded puppy dog helpless look that got her every damn time..  
  
But she had to do it. It was her.DUTY, for lack of better words, to her best friend.  
  
"Max's thought about it. He.likes her. He deserves to get what he.wants.and we should at least stand out of his way if we're not going to help him," Liz forced out. She ignored the disbelieving looks that Isabel, Alex, Kyle, Maria and Michael were all throwing her way, and instead focused on the look of undying gratitude that Max was favoring upon her. She smiled weakly back and looked down at her shoes, cursing the drop in her stomach that she felt at Max's gaze.  
  
Wonderful job on her part. She managed to spit it out and sound halfway sincere. Not that Max noticed. He was just smiling again, as Isabel, Michael, and Kyle all mumbled apologies and halfhearted encouragements. Max was now dragging them away and pumping Isabel, who had held the sickening position of best friend and co-captain of the cheerleading squad last year for one nauseating month to Tess during a fallout between her and Alex (which thankfully didn't last long), for advice on how to proceed. Kyle was providing his perverted advice ("Go to the mall and have her model for you in Victoria's Secret, Max. It's a great first date kind of place") and Michael was just shaking his head in disbelief at Kyle.  
  
Alex and Maria however, came closer to Liz. "Hey chica, how you holding up over here?"  
  
Liz blinked. "I'm fine," She said defensively. What was WITH them today? God, was she dishing out her feelings on a platter here? Or what?  
  
No, she wasn't. For in order to dish out these feelings, she first had to HAVE feelings in the first place.  
  
And she didn't. No siree, no feelings over here.  
  
Alex touched her arm sympathetically. "Are you sure?"  
  
Liz jerked away. "YES. Why? Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" Don't tell me you know, don't tell me you know, don't tell me you know.  
  
Maria grimaced slightly, pity in her olive eyes. "I think there's something you're not telling US," she stated cryptically.  
  
Alex nodded, "About what you REALLY feel about this whole Tess thing."  
  
Liz shrugged. "Its fine. Its what he wants. Its fine." Its fine. A wholly vat of fun. A grand ole idea. Just peachy.  
  
Maria raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh really. So you don't have any feelings what so ever for Max anymore, and that this ISN"T hurting you?"  
  
Damn it! Did she not just plead silently in an unending maxim for them NOT to say that? And what did Maria mean, ANYMORE?  
  
"NO!" Liz burst out angrily. "God, Maria, go sniff some cedar oil. You're loosing it." Liz forced out a laugh, but it came out harsh, like she was barking or something. She took a quick glance in Max's direction to make sure he wasn't hearing this particularly EMBARRASSING conversation, but what she saw made her wish she hadn't. She quickly turned away.  
  
But not quickly enough. For she had just enough time to watch Max go up to Tess, the half smile that turned Liz's knees to jell-o for some weird reason, tugging at the recesses of his mouth as he stuck up a conversation with her.  
  
And that's when Liz realized that she was the biggest freakin liar on the planet. Because, quite frankly, it DID hurt.  
  
More than she would have ever thought possible.  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] Liz [/b]  
  
Have you ever had one of those days where you just wanted to throw your pillow at the alarm clock and never get up?  
  
Have you ever had one of those days where you're thinking all this stuff, and all you really want to do is stop?  
  
This would be the story of my life.  
  
Perhaps that is a bit melodramatic.  
  
Ok, fine, it's the story of day so far. And with the way things are going, I think it would have been a REALLY good idea to just stay in bed for the duration of it.  
  
There are a lot of things I'd rather not think about. Things that I wish never reared their ugly heads inside my mind in the first place. Things I'd rather never happened, so I wouldn't have to waste my time on it.  
  
I really like to just forget about the day when my mom left my dad and I for good.  
  
I really don't want to think about the lovely sack lunch that I packed this morning, only to leave it on the kitchen counter.  
  
I really don't want to think about the icky cafeteria food that will be awaiting me 3rd hour.  
  
But most of all, I certainly don't want to think about Max's bare chest this morning, and how for the briefest of moments, I was envious of the blue sheet that covered him. (GAH! How is a girl supposed to function after seeing something like that?) Or about Tess, her perfect hair, perfect body; perfect everything, and the smile that Max was throwing her way. Neither about the inane feelings that choked my throat when I saw all three things.  
  
What am I going to do? I wont survive senior year like this. Especially not with all the sympathetic looks from Maria and Alex, and the oblivious ones from Max.  
  
About Maria and Alex. Damn them, they are just too perceptive for their own good. I must have a talk with them later about keeping their mouths shut.  
  
Its time for adaptations. Its time for a coping mechanism.or is that defensive mechamism.?  
  
Anyhoo, I know what I have to do. I have to kill these feelings. Die, suckers, die.  
  
Question though.  
  
What exactly DOES exterminate icky feelings? I doubt that putting arsenic in their food is going to suffice.it would be handy.but nope, I'm not sure that's going to work. First of all because feelings don't eat in the first place.  
  
Great. Maxwell Mother-Freaking Evans has me being slowly reduced to a worthless pile of God knows what, babbling about 'feelings' eating habits. I am so glad I am wasting my time on this.  
  
Hmm, I think I know what will get rid of these sentiments.  
  
Another question though. I am going to have the stomach to handle it?  
  
That doesn't matter. I have to do whatever it takes to banish this feelings, and fall back in to the comfortable role of Max Evan's best friend.  
  
Whatever it takes. I'm beginning to hate those three words. And yet, if they succeed in getting rid of these emotions than they might just end up being my favorite.  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] LIZ [/b]  
  
Operation "Help Max Get His Dream Girl," Take One.  
  
Yup. That's my big plan. Catchy title, huh. Well I thought so anyways. Yea, I creative like that. Go Parker.  
  
But in a nutshell, that's what I got to do. Maybe helping him with this will make these damn feelings go away. Banish them. Ku-put. Adios. Hasta la vista. Buh-bye. And then life can go back to normal.  
  
Well as normal as life with Tess can be.  
  
Ha, well there's an oxymoron for you.  
  
Truth be told, Tess Harding is anything but normal. She cool, she's popular, she's pretty (in a fake, plastic, silicon Brittany Spears kind of way. Which is not.), she's West Roswell's IT girl, the center of everything.  
  
She's also disgusting. No really. She's bubbly, nasty, superficial, and WHINY. I hate whiny people. Its like unstuck your pacifier from your mouth and GROW UP.  
  
But of course, in order to HELP Max and to murder the weird butterflies that jump around in my stomach when I'm with him, I need to stop thinking like that. I need to (gag me) be FRIENDLY to Tess.  
  
Excuse me while I induce projectile vomiting.  
  
No. Bad Liz. Think friendly. Think NICE. Think.  
  
Think of Max. Because he's the only reason you would even consider this.  
  
I know what most of you are thinking. "Screw Tess! Go for him yourself!" And believe me, that does sound like a more preferable idea.  
  
But I can't be selfish. For feelings.they're fleeting. They've always been. Whatever weird love/lust/like/toleration of their presence I have ever felt for a guy has come and gone. And I don't want it to with Max. Well, wait. Yes I do. But not like in the past, where I never even speak to the guys after the messy break up. And besides. Max deserves to be with the one he wants. And that's Tess. Not me. Never me. So why should I even try?  
  
Because it's not that I am afraid of being with Max.  
  
It's that I'm afraid of breaking up with him.  
  
Yes, I know. It's a screwed up world in which we live.  
  
Sigh. I guess I can TRY to be friendly to Tess. I'm going to have to be if I want to get her and Max together. Tie on my wings, give me my bow and arrow and call me Cupid.  
  
Question though. How come Cupid never gets to do his own matchmaking? Wouldn't it kind of suck to watch everyone else's happiness and never get to experience your own?  
  
Scratch that. I guess I can try to be CIVIL to Mistress High and Mighty, Queen of the Gerbils (I honestly have never been so callous before now. You believe me right? Lord, look what Max Evans is doing to me. He's making me bitter). Because that's about as far as I am going to get.  
  
~*~Part Three~*~  
  
Max sucked in his breath. Here goes nothing. Lets pump. This baby up. Pump, pump it up. Inwardly, Max scowled at his feeble attempts to psyche himself up. Lord, the months were Isabel was a cheerleader was still seeping into his brain. He was so delighted that this rubbish still held residence in his brain.  
  
NOT.  
  
That was not good. Though he probably could use a little more peppiness in his life. Maybe that's what he needed to win Tess over. Rah rah, sis cum bah.  
  
Yes Ladies and Gentleman. Bravo. Max Evans was indeed stalling. Enough though. Time to do or die.  
  
He walked up to Tess slowly, like Isabel suggested, so that he wouldn't seem too eager.  
  
Cause god knows if he looked too eager, it was all over.  
  
K Maxwell this is it. Be calm. Collected. COOL. Be irresistible...be...aw hell, be anything, just do SOMETHING!  
  
He tried to grin impishly at her, but it came out in kind of a half tiny smile. "Hey Tess," he said suavely.  
  
Or rather, he tried to have it come out suavely. And it would have worked too, had he not tripped in the exact moment that Tess turned around.  
  
Max's chin jutted out sharply as he staggered forward. Luckily he caught himself before he fell flat on his face, steadying himself on a nearby object.  
  
However, unfortunately, the nearby object that broke his fall was the adjacent garbage can.  
  
CRASH!  
  
And out cascaded the morning's rubbish all over Tess's and her friend Pam's shoes.  
  
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!  
  
God, oh many times could a person think "Shit" in a day? Max was probably going for a record here. He felt his face enflame, and his eyes bulge at the sight of the clumsy mess he created. He then closed his eyes momentarily as horror washed over him. Oh boy.  
  
Tess shrieked loudly, and Pam threw Max a dirty (hahaha.pun intended) look. "Watch it you FREAK!" She yelled.  
  
Tess tossed Max a similar withering look, scoffed and stalked off. Max watched her retreating form, a look of utter disbelief on his face.  
  
Well. No one could say that he didn't make a first impression. Too bad it wasn't exactly one that he wanted her to remember. He could still feel his ears turning red.  
  
Max sighed. Could he have been anymore stupid? He stepped forward.  
  
And right into a pile of squishy trash. People around him who had gaped at the spectacular display between him and Tess sniggered.  
  
Possibly he can (get more stupid that is). Wonderful. Just freaking perfect. A brilliant way to start off the year. He swallowed hard and dared to look up at his friends.  
  
Kyle was of course, laughing, holding onto Michael for support, who gave Kyle a disgusted look and shoved him off before shrugging at Max. Isabel looked remorse, and somewhat disgusted at the garbage on his shoes, Maria and Alex looked.smug??  
  
He must of read that one wrong.  
  
Max steeled himself for what Liz's expression would be. When he finally looked up into her eyes, he was taken aback for a minute. He thought he saw.well compassion for one thing. He knew Liz would never do anything to deliberately make him feel like shit.but what was the something else he saw in her eyes.?  
  
The mood was broken by Kyle's never ending guffawing. He came up to Max, followed by the others and slapped him on the back.  
  
"Oh my Gawd!" Kyle managed to get out between gales of laughter. "That was fucking HILARIOUS man! Ha! I haven't laughed so hard since yesterday when Maria pushed Michael into the pool." Kyle dissolved into another fit of laughter. "Real graceful Maxwell. Ohh, Tess so wants you now!" More laughing and then, "OW!"  
  
Max smiled. Isabel had just hit him. His smile was fleeting though, as Kyle's words sank in. He was an idiot. Thank you very much Kyle. At least now everyone had that cleared up.  
  
Max rubbed his hands over his face. "Well that went well," he said flatly, sending Kyle into another snorting fit.  
  
Maria rolled her eyes at Kyle and turned to Max. "Max. Are you still so sure about this? Think about it. I'm not so positive that she is the one for you. You deserve someone BETTER, someone who actually knows the real you, and who loves you for it."  
  
Alex nodded his head. "I'm with Ria. Max. Think long and hard about this buddy"  
  
Max was taken aback for a second, so taken aback that he missed the gasp of outrage that Liz emitted, and the furious look that she pierced Alex and Maria went. He wavered for an instant.  
  
What if they were right? Come to think of it, Tess didn't know really, WHO he was, other than the dork who spilled garbage all over here, and who was in her class.  
  
But really, wasn't that the point? The point was to GET her to know him, to get her to see past the stereotype. Wasn't that what this was all about?  
  
Well, ok, so Max wanted a little "somethin' somethin'" to go along with it but hell. He was a normal teenage guy after all. But that wasn't all of it. Was it? Max glanced up at Isabel and Michael to see their reactions (he could really care less what Kyle had to think, seeing how it was probably predicable anyways). They were nodding in agreement to Maria. He felt like he was being sucker punched. Thanks guys.  
  
Then he glanced at Liz. For a while, they just stared into each others eyes, lost in the emotions they THOUGHT lay in there, and what really WAS there. Finally, Liz looked away, biting her lip. Max asked her softly, "Liz, what do you think?"  
  
She sat there for a good while, gnawing on her lip. Max unintentionally leaned toward her, intent on hearing every last word. He needed this. If he didn't have her support, then he didn't have anything. He ignored the way the air got tense and still, and the sharp, bated intake of breath that came from Isabel, Michael, Alex, Maria and Kyle as they all waited for what Liz had to say.  
  
Blowing out frustrated air, Liz shot a rapid glance and Max, and then at the ground. "I think." she started, faltering slightly as she realized just how close Max was to her. She shifted closer for one shocking moment before bending down tersely to tie her shoe. Straightening up, she finished, "You should go for it. If you want her that badly, then you shouldn't just throw it away because of one silly klutzy Max moment. I mean, if she's going to be your.your.g-girlfriend, then she's going to have to get used to them, right?" She rushed out the last bit, but Max was too busy grinning to notice.  
  
"Yeah, probably," Max laughed. "I mean, YOU got used to them, and you haven't bolted yet!"  
  
Liz's face crumpled slightly before she forced a laugh. "Yeah. Not yet."  
  
Maria and Alex scoffed in protest, but fell silent after the mutinous glare from Liz. Max raised an eyebrow in incredulity, but was distracted by Kyle.  
  
"So anyways, Maxwell, when you get invited to those notorious Tess Harding parties, be sure to slip me an invite, k dude? I have some stuff planned." Kyle wagged his eyebrows up deviously. He was forever known as the practical joker at West Roswell, and it seemed as though he was trying to break an unknown record of sorts, for most times suspended due to pranks.  
  
Max just shook his head. "Yeah sure Kyle. Whatever you say. I'll be sure to include all you guys. Won't forget about my pals just because of becoming Tess Harding's MAIN MAN," He drawled out. Kyle laughed and slapped Max's hand.  
  
Liz pushed away. "I'm just gonna." She jerked her thumb to the building and jetted off. "See ya,"  
  
It was a while before Max remembered that he and Liz usually always walked each other to homeroom during school. He shook off his slight disappointment and trudged to the building, ignoring the points and stares of the rest of the student body. He couldn't help but wonder about Liz. Was something up? But then again, she had defended him TWICE today. Maybe his brain was just turning into cornflakes.  
  
Yea, that was it.  
  
~*~  
  
Liz pushed blindly through the double doors of West Roswell, plowing through the throng of students milling in, scrambling for their lockers, trying in vain to remember the combination that they had just received, and the Populars hanging about, checking their reflection in the mirror.  
  
All in all, just your typical first day of school. Except this time it was different.  
  
First of all, the obvious reason, because she was a senior. And seniors got respect. It was somewhat amusing to see sophomores scamper out of her way, and new freshman gaze up at her in awe.  
  
Yes, Liz is a senior. Hear her roar!  
  
Rar.  
  
She would be more enthusiastic if it weren't for the little thing that had happened outside. She sighed, and leaned against the wall outside her homeroom.  
  
While it had been amusing, to say the least, to watch Max knock over the garbage can (what WAS it with Max and garbage cans?) all over Tess, and then STEP in the shit, it had only furthered Max's determination. For Liz could see it in his eyes. That obstinate look that meant he was NOT going to give up. It was the same look he got when the team he was on was loosing by a few points with minutes to go on the clock. It was the same look he got when something was wrong with Liz, and she wouldn't tell him. Heh, that was a funny one. When Liz finally DID cave under his pestering and that look, he probably wished he had left well enough alone. No boy wants to hear about THAT time of month that plagues young women. Liz smiled faintly at the memory, before crashing to the present.  
  
'Remember your plan. Stick to the plan,' she cajoled herself.  
  
And she was. She sucked it up and told Max what he needed to hear. And now what? Go and talk to Tess? She shuddered. Maybe after Max..  
  
"Hey babe. Miss me?"  
  
Liz looked up and came face to face with Mr. Prom King himself. Sean Williams. She groaned inwardly. She so did not want to deal with his cockiness today. And why was he talking to HER of all people? He knew she hated him.almost as much as she hated Tess. For they both stood for the same revolting things.  
  
RING!  
  
Good. Saved by the bell. Liz nodded curtly at Sean and went to escape into her homeroom.  
  
Only to have Sean cut her off and block the doorway. She sighed. She was not in the mood today. If he kept this up, she would be sure to smack him. HARD.  
  
"Come on Lizzie. Why you got to be so cold?" Sean grinned at her, obviously enjoying the way she was growing more pissed by the second.  
  
"Can you move?" Liz bit out. After he didn't move, she added, "PLEASE."  
  
Sean pointed at the side of his mouth. "You gotta pay the toll darling," He winked.  
  
Revulsion crawled through her. Eww. That was nasty, and totally uncalled for. Then she smiled sweetly at him, her voice dripping with sugary sarcasm. "You want me to kick you in the face?" He had better have gotten the blatant hint.  
  
"I dunno, could you be naked?" Sean wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Or not.  
  
Liz rolled her eyes, and pushed past him. Oh boy. This was going to be a VERY long year, especially with Sean in her homeroom.  
  
And what was with him today? Why the sudden interest? Did he want her to be his next conquest? Liz snorted. As if.  
  
She slumped in her seat, as the teacher droned on about announcement, and her mind wandered waywardly to just how sucky this year was going to be.  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] MAX [/b]  
  
The Operation?  
  
Get Tess to Notice Me: Take One.  
  
Result?  
  
Complete and utter failure.  
  
It was awful. The kind of moment where you just want to crawl into a nice cave and die. Either that or live there hermit-like for the rest of your life.  
  
Hmm, nope, I'd rather die.  
  
Good God, what is it with me and garbage cans? I mean honestly. This is the second one I have killed in a six-month period. That cant be good for my permanent record. I'm going to have a reputation as a garbage can murderer. And that's just not good for my image.  
  
That is if I had an image. Which I don't. Except for being infamous as a Garbage can killer.  
  
Someone save me from my thoughts. Eh, well this will just add to the appeal of getting Tess. For that will surely fix my image. Not that I really care about it. But still. It would be a lovely perk. Sigh, poor garbage can.  
  
Well, at least this time I didn't damage a car in the process too.  
  
Nope, the only thing broken along with the can is my nonexistent ego. Oh well. Not such a great loss.  
  
But really, now what am I supposed to do? Strip down to my boxers and do the hula in her front yard?  
  
Even I have my limits, don't worry.  
  
But seriously, what next? I am out of ideas, and it's only been the first day. Hmm, perhaps I should get someone to help.  
  
Isabel-She's probably out, as I'm REALLY uncomfortable talking about my love life with her. Plus, anything that I say, can and WILL be used against me, next time I stick her with cleaning the bathroom.  
  
Michael-He's out. The guys got good intentions I guess, but look at the way he's with Maria. Not exactly Mr. Answer Boy for dating.  
  
Alex-Possibly, but the way he was trying to talk me out of it today, I doubt he'll be much help. Hmm, why was that again? Does he have something against Tess? You know, besides the obvious.  
  
Maria-See above, except substitute the male pronouns with female ones.  
  
Kyle- **snort** Nuff said.  
  
Liz- The most likely candidate. She was a HUGE help today. Note to self to thank her later, and ask her about my next move. God, what would I do without her nagging?  
  
And I mean that in the most positive of ways.  
  
She's always been there for me, pushing me to go that extra bit. Kind of like your mom, except without the creepy factor.more friendish like.  
  
Well. That was supposed to make a hell of a lot more sense then it did. Anyhoo, that about covers it. Now all I have to do is survive the first day back and begin planning. After all, I DO have the whole year. What's the rush? I'm not in any particular hurry to commit a repeat of today's.how you say.MEMORABLE performance.  
  
What's that old saying?  
  
One day you look back on this and laugh.  
  
Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.  
  
I just hope when this is all over and I obtain/or don't obtain Tess's affection that I can look back on this and tell myself that it was all worthwhile. If its not going to be, then someone please tell me so the mess can be avoided. Too bad Cupid can't see into the future. That'd be nice, but then again, when has anything is life been simple or easy? 


	3. Part Four

[b] "Sometimes Ignorance Rings True" [/b]  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] Maria [/b]  
  
Max Evans is a freakin idiot.  
  
Like, seriously.  
  
Here he has Liz right in front of him, and he chooses this point and time to avenge the Barbie doll from Hell. Miss-I-am-So-Perfect-So-Everyone-Bows- Down-To-Me. (Except, well of course, ME. I don't do that status thing)  
  
Unbelievably inane. But then I have never had much faith in the male species. Ever.  
  
I mean look at what I have for a boyfriend. Michael's sole proud accomplishment is that he can grunt in four different vocal intervals, and burp the alphabet.  
  
Bravo. Excuse me while I forget to clap with glee.  
  
But the thing is, I have always had faith in Max. I mean, he's [I] Max [/I] Mr. Sweetie, Mr. Chivalry, Mr. Overbearing Responsibility. Mr. DEPENDABLE. That is until now.  
  
Because what is he doing with that faith? With that carefully maintained trust that there was indeed hope for chauvinists everywhere?  
  
He went and shoved it down the crapper.  
  
Okay, okay. So I am being a bit harsh. But I tend to get all defensive when the feelings of my best friend are messed with.  
  
But here's the kicker. The huge, in your face clincher. The fact that makes you want to scream, yell, and kick things that are expensive over the idiocy of it all.  
  
Maxwell Evans has no clue of the fact that he tossed all this out of the window. None whatsoever. Total blank. A [I] Tabula Rasa [/I] if you will. IGNORANCE of what's really in front of him.  
  
Normally I would write this off as typical male stupidity, and proceed to shine the light in Max's oblivious face.  
  
But no. He TRULY and HONESTLY does not know.  
  
Un-freakin-beliveable.  
  
Or is it?  
  
See, there's another little fact that I forgot to mention. (Actually, I didn't FORGET per say, I was just withholding information until a time I best saw fit. And that time is now. So..)  
  
Liz has no clue either. All she knows is that something is different.  
  
Congratulations! It only took you about ten billion years. Now I swear, if it's going to take Max that long to figure it, let me know so I can go take a walk or something. Honestly.  
  
And there's more. Oh boy, is there more.  
  
She wants it to go away. Liz is trying to HELP Max. Earlier this month, she DEFENDED his decision to chase after Tess's skirt. And for the duration of this month, she has been giving him choked pointers on what approach to take next (of which, thankfully, never really seemed to work). God, that girl is in deeper than I thought. Well, in deeper denial anyways. What is she so scared off? That she might actually find happiness this time? That she might actually discover what Alex and I have wondered all along, that Max is THE one? Her special someone, her Michael to her Maria, her Isabel to her Alex, her Kyle to her.um, slightly horny, imaginary, person that um.  
  
Well, her Kyle to her box of porn. There we go.  
  
Now I know what you are all thinking. Oh my god, this is so screwed up. Is there no hope for this situation?  
  
Na uh uh. I shall wave my little finger (my INDEX finger, thank you very much Kyle) and shake my head at your naivety. For good ole Maria has a plan. Auntie Maria ALWAYS has a plan (Yes that I do. Michael don't give me that incredulous look)  
  
A plan I think just might work and bring happiness back to this little circle of friends.  
  
Good ole schemes. Where would the world be without them?  
  
~*~Part Four~*~  
  
Maria bounced eagerly in her second hour class, waiting impatiently for Alex to arrive. She was so glad that they had this period together. They really needed to talk. This whole Liz and Max tragically-in-love-yet-they- don't-quite-know-it-yet, was getting desperately out of hand. This whole month had been painful to watch. Maria was quite sure that her hairline was receding due to all the hair pulling she had been doing.  
  
Was it possible to go bald at seventeen? Because that would really suck.  
  
Hmm, perhaps she should invest in hats again.  
  
Anyways, if Alex didn't hurry, she wouldn't be able to tell him what she had come up with. She stared piercing at the door, willing him to walk through next.  
  
'Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.Al-Liz.'  
  
God damn it.  
  
How was she supposed to tell Alex her scheme if Liz was in the room? For if Maria went up to Alex, Liz would surely come over to see what was going on. And then proceed to beat Maria to a bloody pulp once she found out. Alex was a horrid liar.  
  
Or well, Liz would TRY to beat Maria to a bloody pulp, but Maria could take little Lizzy anytime, anywhere. Yea, that's it! Show her what yo' made off Ria! Grr.  
  
"Hey Maria, what's up?"  
  
Maria gulped and smiled nervously. "Oh, um.n-nothing."  
  
'What was that you were saying again? Grr.?' A little voice mocked in her head.  
  
"Oh shut up!"  
  
Liz swiveled around the desk in front of Maria and gave Maria a shocked look. "What?!"  
  
Um, oops? Did she say that out loud?  
  
Wow, she had brilliant deductive skills. Anyhoo, time for damage control. "Uh, nothing. Just talking to myself." Maria said in what she hoped was a jaunty tone, void of any guilt or guile.  
  
Liz arched an amused eyebrow at her blonde crony. "Oh, so you were telling yourself to shut up?"  
  
Why couldn't she have any dumb friends? Nooo she had to befriend Ms. Valedictorian.  
  
"Urm, yea, well, no one has said it to me in a while, so I was.um, going through withdrawal. And besides. SOMEONE needs to tell me that once every few minutes to um, keep me sane, and um, quiet, otherwise, I um, might not, you know, be um, quiet," Maria babbled out. Maybe if she confused Liz enough, she would get off Maria's trail.  
  
Either that, or Maria would succeed in befuddling her own self to the point of no return. Ah, the more likely scenario.  
  
To Maria's relief, Liz just snorted and turned around, while whispering "I'll be sure to pass this ever so useful information to Michael. I'm sure he'd find some use for it."  
  
Maria rolled her eyes. Wonderful. Man, she really needed some dumb friends. Where the hell was Kyle when you need him? And Alex? Lord, she was going to kill that boy. The one day he was late.Argh, probably playing kissy face with Isabel again.  
  
Eww.make.the.visions.stop.now.  
  
Speak of the devil.  
  
Alex Whitman sailed effortlessly through the doorway, just as the final bell was ringing. He slid into a seat next to Maria and grinned spryly at her. "Good morning Maria!"  
  
"Shut up,"  
  
Alex threw her an amazed look. "What the heck did I do now?"  
  
But Maria just gave him a sour look as the teacher walked up to the front and began the daily ritual search for chalk. Maria's mouth twitched when she heard the teacher mutter, "Damn that Valenti, stealing the chalk again, this isn't funny, unbelievable," and then walk out to her office in search of more.  
  
Alex leaned forward, taking the teacher's fast step out to find out what was wrong. "Come on Ria. Tell me," He asked concerned.  
  
Maria just shook her head, nodding pointedly at Liz in front of her, murmuring between clenched teeth, "Not. Now."  
  
Alex's eyes flew open in understanding. "Ohhhh..I get it.is it." he leaned even closer, his voice quiet and secretive. "Is it that time of month again? Cuz if it is, I don't need to hear anymore. You just say the word, and its yours, and no details, or I just might."  
  
"ALEX!" Maria shouted, half outraged, half amused. "NO! Its not that, I just.its about." She stopped short as Liz turned around, interested by Maria's outburst. "I'll tell you later." She tried to say inconspicuously, but inwardly she groaned at the narrowed look Liz shot at her.  
  
Whoops. Ack never mind. She would make something up to get Liz off her track.  
  
The teacher walked back in with a fresh box of chalk, muttering darkly to herself about stupid senior pranks, and signaled everyone to be quiet.  
  
Maria sighed. Her scheme would have to wait. But she would have to hurry, for Max was becoming relentless.  
  
Just please, if everyone was going to be ignorant, just let Tess be as well.  
  
On second thought, Maria thought smiling smugly. She probably had nothing to worry about.  
  
Nothing at all.  
  
Right?  
  
~*~  
  
Kyle laid back indolently against his locker, which was positioned ever so nicely next-door to Liz's own shabby green one. He looked at her intensely, ideas running through his mind as she shoved in her books, and take out the ones she needed, wondering what she wanted to talk to him about.  
  
"Hey Kyle?" She said, stopping rummaging around and turning to look at him.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"What's going on with Maria and Alex?"  
  
Kyle tried to feign ignorance, remembering Maria's threat that under NO circumstances, was Liz to figure out that they were plotting against her. "What do you mean?" He asked innocuously.  
  
Liz's eyes narrowed, seeing right through his fake tone. "So you're in on it too? Tell me."  
  
Kyle's eyes widened. Shit. She was a smart little cookie. Why didn't Maria remember that he could lie to save his life? Well, not to Liz anyways. When it came to lying about how all the globes in the building somehow got onto the roof, or why all the chalk in every classroom disappeared, he found it quite easy to talk his way out of suspension. Anyways.  
  
"Umm.well.its nothing really." He watched as Liz's eyes got narrower and narrower.and gulped. She was beginning to scare him a little. "Uh.we were planning a surprise for you.but don't tell Maria I told you!"  
  
"What kind of surprise?"  
  
Was that sweat? Oh God, yes that would be telltale perspiration running down his arm. Beautiful. Think, Kyle, Think! "Umm.for your.for your.for your birthday!"  
  
Liz seemed a bit taken aback. "My birthday? The birthday that isn't for months yet?"  
  
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.  
  
"Uhh, well, you know Maria. She likes to urm, get a head start on things." Yea, because THAT was a fact.  
  
Liz wrinkled her nose at him. "Must be a new development then." And she went back to getting her books. Kyle silently crossed himself, before remembering his conversion to Buddhism. Whoops. Gotta remember that one Kyle. He sat there for a minute, now that danger was averted, and pondered over his newest anxiety.  
  
"Hey Liz?" He asked suddenly. "You know me pretty well, right?"  
  
Liz slammed her door shut and spun around to face him, amusement written all over her face. "Uh, yea, why?"  
  
"I don't know. I was just thinking," He broke off at Liz's fake gasp. "YES, I was actually using my what-you-ma-call-it. My brain and whatnot."  
  
Liz breathed deeply. "Oh my Lord, never, in all my wildest crazy dreams did I think something like this finally happen." She wiped away imaginary tears, and placed an exaggerated touch on his shoulder. "I am so proud of you!"  
  
Kyle grinned good-naturedly at her. "Thanks Liz. I appreciate that."  
  
"Anytime"  
  
"So anyways, shocker, I was thinking," his mouth twitched before going on, "This is like, our senior year. Our last year to do anything in High School."  
  
Liz nodded. "Bravo, so you've mastered this funky system we here on earth like to call time. Do continue."  
  
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Is it just me, or you more sarcastic than ever lately?" He immediately regretted it after seeing Liz's face fall at that statement. He could guess what this was about, and for not the first time, he really wished he could kick Max Evan's ass. "Sorry Liz," He said regretfully. "I didn't mean."  
  
Liz shook her head fiercely. "I don't know what you're talking about Kyle. I'm FINE."  
  
Hmm, nice one. Kyle wondered briefly how many times she had to tell herself that one to get her to believe it. But then, what did he know? Anyways, he was talking remember.?  
  
Oh yea.  
  
"So anyways, I was thinking, as you know, that I want to go out with a BANG. I want everyone to remember the name VALENTI, and remember it in AWE." Kyle drifted off into his fantasy, all of his friends, ten years later at the reunion. 'Remember what Valenti did senior year? Yea, that was fucking BRILLIANT!'  
  
"Kyle,"  
  
Yea that's it. Say his name. Say it with pride!  
  
"KYLE,"  
  
Naw, don't say it so irritating, say it like you MEAN IT!  
  
"KYLE!!!"  
  
Wha.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Snap out of your twisted fantasy. The bell rang. You'll have to tell me about your quote un quote "plans" after school." Liz waved a hand in his face, making sure he was really back with reality. After he blinked a couple of times. Liz walked off, giving a little wave as she went.  
  
Turning back to watch where she was going, she plowed straight into a wall.  
  
A warm, BREATHING wall.  
  
Revulsion swept through her and she pushed away from the figure. Eww.  
  
"Hey there Lizzie." Sean Williams grinned at her. His oily smile made her wish she could rush straight for the nearest bathroom to wash her hands.Ick.  
  
"Hi," She said coldly, leaving no more for interpretation. She tried to move around him, but he side swept her and continued walking along side her.  
  
"What do you want?" She finally asked in exasperation, after the forth corner she rounded in her attempts to get rid of him.  
  
"To ask you something, cute stuff."  
  
Cute stuff. CUTE STUFF. Her name was not cute stuff. And if it was, she would definitely be looking into a legal name change. Sigh, just when she thought he couldn't get any MORE slimy.  
  
Just goes to prove it. Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.  
  
Sean obviously took her silence as an indication for him to continue. "So I'll pick you up at seven then, Friday night," He smiled smugly.  
  
Well. Gee, that didn't sound like a question. God, it was like he just EXPECTED her to fall down in gratitude that he wanted to go out with her. Nuh uh, no thanks. Completely and totally NOT interested.  
  
"Oh gosh, you know, Friday's not good for me at all," Liz said coldly. And neither was any other day. Ok, now that that was done, off you go little doggie.  
  
"K, Saturday then." Oh god, he was thick all right.  
  
"I said NO Sean, not Friday, not Saturday, not EVER, you got that?" And with that, Liz stalked away, thankfully leaving Sean behind this time.  
  
~*~  
  
Two of Sean's buddies walked up, surveying Liz's retreating figure. "Smooth man," Paulie commented.  
  
"Yea man, we can see how EASY you told us this was going to be," Jordan nudged Sean in the ribs. "Who would have ever thought that we would see the day when Sean Williams got dissed and dismissed by his latest interest? The world is halting on its axis I tell ya,"  
  
Paulie sniggered.  
  
Sean slapped at Jordan's arm, warning him to cut it out. "Shut up," he said. "This is one is just going to take.a little more time.But I guarantee, that by Prom Night, Lizzie Podmore will be all mine for the taking." He grinned evilly. Oh yea. He definitely could not wait. Little Lizzie came back from summer all gorgeous looking, and.. completely immune to his charms, making the chase all the more fun.  
  
Paulie's thick bushy eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Wait a minute. Isn't her last name Parker?"  
  
"Whatever," Sean said flippantly.  
  
Paulie sniggered once more, but Jordan gave him a skeptical look. "I dunno man, I think you're going to need a little inside help on this one."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Jordan nodded to a guy walking up their way, and up to the drinking fountain. "That guy."  
  
Sean squinted as he tried to make out the tall, raven headed figure. "Who is it?"  
  
"Max Evans, you know, Liz's best friend." Paulie supplied, cottoning onto what Jordan had in mind.  
  
Realization hit Sean like a ton of bricks (don't we all wish). "Oh, I think I know that guy. Tess was complaining about him trying to catch her eye or something." He drifted off, his puny jock mind wheeling for the first time in ages. One could almost hear the rust squeaking.  
  
"You know.I think I know what just might work."  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] Michael [/b]  
  
Maria's up to something.  
  
I know it. It's a feeling I get, you know, like when your ankle hurts and it's about to rain.  
  
That kind of intuition.  
  
[I] Scary [/I]  
  
Well, that and the fact that Liz came up to me this morning and asked what was going on with Maria and Alex, and then before she walked away, she tossed out that Maria suggested that she needed someone to tell her to shut up every five minutes, a clear indication of a cover up story.  
  
Hmm. Why was I not informed of this idea earlier? Would have made MY life a hell of a lot easy. Shutting Maria up, and having her WANT you to shut her up. But then again, I like my usual way a lot better, where I just kiss her senseless until she hushes up. Hmm, definitely fond of that particular method. Anyways.  
  
But for the first time, I don't think that she is plotting against ME.  
  
Insert sigh of relief here.  
  
But if it's not me, than who is the hapless victim? This is strangely unusual. For the life of me, I cant remember a time when [I]I [/I] haven't been the butt of her schemes and plotting. Which is alleviating to say the least.  
  
But very interesting as well.  
  
Hmm, lets see here. Who could it be?  
  
When I asked Maria about it this afternoon, she gave me an annoyed look and muttered something about "the ignorance of men," but then again, I could be mistaken. As you probably already know, I have better things to do than to listen to Maria rant on. You find that you develop this lovely coping mechanism when you can't tell her to shut up, or kiss her senseless. It's quite simple actually.  
  
You just tune her out. Think of something else, or play a Metallica song in your head.  
  
And then be prepared for her to smack you over the head with her purse/hand/brick/whatever solid objects nearest when she cottons on to the fact that you haven't taken in one word of what she's been going on about.  
  
Oww.  
  
Not to say that I don't love the girl. There's something very alluring about her anger, and of course, her gentle side (Surprise! She does in fact have one. Its there.somewhere...). But naturally I don't make a habit out of provoking her anger.She thinks I do it on purpose, like playing some sort of game.but that's not the case.  
  
Heh, although sometimes, I'll admit, it can be a bit of fun.  
  
Ten points if you make her face turn varying shades of purple.Whoo, I win.  
  
But back to the scheme. I think I know what its about. Maria was seething when Max announced his little 'plan' for senior year, and catching Tess.  
  
Which by the way is a rather stupid plan. Sometimes I wonder if Max is just an idiot, or maybe just a glutton for punishment. I don't know what's up with the guy. I mean, I've always wondered why he hasn't tried anything with Liz yet. It seems like it would be the perfect solution to all this. I mean, the two of them are the only reason that Isabel and I started hanging out with Maria, Alex and Kyle. It's almost painfully obvious.to everyone but them. Eh, oh well. It's not my business. Though Maria might think otherwise. If it's meant to be, Max'll figure it out. With OUT meddling from Maria, though she won't lack for trying.  
  
So that's probably it. She's most likely plotting a way to get Max derailed from his quest for Tess.  
  
Poor guy.  
  
Against one of Maria's good ole schemes, he doesn't stand a chance. 


	4. Part Five

[b] "Sometimes Ignorance Rings True"[/b]  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] LIZ [/b]  
  
Suspicion and Guilt.  
  
Two rather suffocating emotions on their own, but pull them together and it becomes down right exasperating to even just BREATHE, let alone get through each day.  
  
And I have the privilege of the above listed sentimentalities meshed together and wrapped around my life.  
  
Yay for me.  
  
Hmm, not quite.  
  
Why the suspicion? Well, I'm pretty sure you all can take a guess.  
  
Maria is so totally up to something. I KNOW it. And it seems that she's recruiting poor, unwitting Kyle and Alex to help. Possibly even Michael and Isabel as well. I would have thought that maybe Kyle came up with it with the whole thing, but he doesn't have the same depth to deviousness that Maria has. And the birthday excuse?  
  
Come ON.  
  
I'd like to think that my intellect deserves a better excuse than that. It's sad really, that that's all he could come up with. But then he IS rather troubled right now with this prank business, which in my humble opinion is a cry for help, or a desperate journey to discover who the heck he is.  
  
Yes, I know.  
  
I really need to get Kyle off this Buddhism kick. It's rubbing off on me.  
  
I've got to remember to tell all of them off next time I see them. For some reason I keep forgetting to. I've had so much on my mind with the Sean thing. God, what is WITH him lately? All three years, he's never given me so much as a hello. And now? What's changed? It's not like I grew a third breast or anything like that to make him come running. I mean, Sean? Me? Nuh uh. Not in this lifetime anyways.  
  
Well, I guess you could say that I'm more disgusted than I am suspicious, but honestly. It's still quite "odd." Mix that in with trying to keep my grades up in all the madness and you could see why telling Maria and company off keeps slipping my mind.  
  
But really, can you blame me for all else in which I've had to deal with? (Yes, yes, *groan* there's more)  
  
Enter the guilt. For the past month (though it has seemed like a YEAR), I have fulfilled my duties as a best friend and helped Max with his disgusting pursuit of Tess.  
  
Aww, hell, in my opinion, I went above and BEYOND the call of duty.  
  
It sucked, to put it bluntly, and I was (AM) practically pulling my hair out. Every little plan he came up with was proofed by me, and tweaked to perfection. I was tempted to tell him some horrid little idea, in order to completely sabotage the operation (someone tell me when we got on army terms here) or even blow Max off all together (BLOW him..Oh muh gawd, get my mind out of the gutter) but the nasty little bugger known as CONCIENCE stepped in and prevented me from doing so.  
  
But see, there's a silver lining in all this. Do you want to know what it is?  
  
[I] None of it worked [/I]  
  
I didn't have to do anything underhanded of the sorts at all! Tess remains either oblivious to Max's attempts or perhaps she still just doesn't care.  
  
[I] Yesssss[/I]  
  
Hmm, here's where the guilt comes to play.  
  
I'm awful for thinking this way. AWFUL. Here's Max, completely obsessed and heart broken from the fact that Tess has yet to fall for his charms (personally, I think he has yet to recover from the garbage can incident), and all I can do is thank Big Guy up there that nothing's really changed.  
  
Apart from the foolish feelings that is. But I'm dealing with them.  
  
And hey now, what ever happened to me wanting to use this particular scenario to help me GET OVER these damn feelings. If Max's plan fails, than won't mine as well?  
  
I don't know. All I know is that I hate living like this. And that my means of getting over Max just aren't working.  
  
Maybe I just need a new tactic.  
  
The question is.WHAT?  
  
~*~Part Five~*~  
  
"THAT'S your big stupendous plan?" Alex asked incredulously, while nursing an orange soda. He was sitting next to Isabel on a rickety picnic table on the quad, listening to Maria as she filled the gang in on the details of her famous scheme.  
  
"I think the word you are searching for is "stupid" NOT "stupendous," Kyle quipped before letting out a huge belch, to which Isabel responded in throwing him a disgusted look. Why was she surrounded by gross pigs? WHY?  
  
"Maria, you need help. Serious professional help." Alex stated matter-of- factly.  
  
"Alex, all the money in the world couldn't pay for the amount of doctors Maria's mental state would require." Michael said gravely, taking a bite out of his leftover sandwich from lunch. "Ow!" He sputtered after Maria smacked him, accidentally spraying Kyle with the remains of his regurgitated food. "Maria! Violence is NOT the answer!"  
  
Maria pierced him with an evil look. "Yes it is," she said darkly.  
  
"Reason number nine, ladies and gentleman, why I will never vote Maria in for public office." Alex said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"That is if I believed in politics in the first place." Maria protested irritatingly.  
  
Kyle leaned closer to Michael, whispering loudly, "I'd blame her mother for the hippy like attitude, but sadly Maria's always been like this." Michael snorted, while Maria swelled in anger.  
  
"Could we PLEASE get back to something resembling the former topic?" Isabel said loudly, trying to avoid yet another row between Maria and Michael. "I still can't believe Liz is finally admitting that she likes my brother," she added to herself. It was surreal. And sickening to say the least. She so did not need to listen to the details of her brother's love life. Especially when TESS was involved. But then, Liz was definitely a better pick than that she-devil.  
  
"Well it's about time!" Maria sighed, clearly exasperated at her friends density.  
  
"But it seemed to me that she was still deep in Denial-Ville," Alex pondered.  
  
Isabel looked at her boyfriend dubiously. "You did NOT just quote Shania Twain at us." Just when she thought this day couldn't get any weirder. It was like entering the twilight zone.  
  
Maria blew a strand of stray hair away from her face. "Well.she didn't exactly come right out and say it but.what!? Don't look at me like that! I could SO tell."  
  
Isabel banged her perfectly groomed blonde mane upon the table. She was missing TRL for THIS? "So you're telling us that she STILL thinks that nothings going on between them!? MARIA! Your brilliant plan isn't going to work that way!"  
  
"Actually, I didn't think it would work period," Kyle muttered underneath his breath.  
  
Maria tugged on the ends of her blonde strands in frustration. "Argh! NO! You guys! LISTEN to the words that are coming out of my mouth! Liz hasn't 'admitted' anything yet.YET Michael, don't shake your head at me.but she DEFINITELY knows that something's.changed, for lack of better terms. Hello! Why else would she try and HELP Max with his random act of lunacy? And despite what you all think, my plan is PERFECT,"  
  
Michael wisely chose not to comment on that last phrase. Instead, he said, "I still don't know why we just don't leave it alone. It's none of our business. Plus, Max and Liz would KILL us if they found out. KILL US. And you all are horrible liars."  
  
Kyle scoffed. "Hey now! We are EXCELLENT liars, thank you very much."  
  
Isabel arched an eyebrow at him. "Birthday party?"  
  
"OK, fine, I slipped up once. But STILL." Kyle protested loudly.  
  
Alex was still mulling over Michael's words. He shook his head. "I think you underestimate Max and Liz, Mickey. They would blackmail us, torture us, and THEN kill us. But I see your point about letting them figure it out themselves."  
  
"NO! No, no, no, no, no.Don't you see!! They'll THANK us later when they're all happy go lucky in love. And besides. There is no way that they will be able to figure this mess out by themselves. They NEED our help."  
  
Isabel sighed loudly. "I still don't know how your 'plan'," throwing air quotes above her head, "is going to help with this. I mean, it's no different than we usually do doing the school year!"  
  
Maria groaned. "Honestly, am I the only smart one here?"  
  
"Define "smart"," Alex muttered underneath his breath.  
  
"ANYWAYS." Shooting daggers at Alex, she continued. "I KNOW we always do a annual movie night get together fun thingy on Friday's during the school year, but don't you see? Now that Liz is realizing she has all these "feeling thingys" the air is going to be positively CHARGED with sexual tension! And even though Max is a dumb-ass right now, there's like NO WAY in which he could miss the signs, if we get them alone in a darken room together with a romantic movie on the screen. See!? Tell me I'm not brilliant."  
  
Alex snorted. "Why don't we just lock them in a supply closet with condoms strewn all over the floor. A classic sign of HINT HINT!"  
  
"Because that's just tacky," was Maria's [b]brilliant[/b] reply.  
  
The rest of the gang shared exasperated looks. Finally Isabel stood up. "Fine. We'll try your idea. And ONLY because I am getting desperate here. If I have to hear about Tess one more time at home, sibling love, or no sibling love, I am tossing Max out the window." God, every day, without fail, Tess this, and Tess that, and oh Isabel, what should I do about this, what should I do about that? She was about ready to scream at the top of her lungs. Normally she wouldn't mind giving her brother relationship advice, but it was TESS. Eww.  
  
"Think about how LIZ feels. She's the one getting most of it," Maria said quietly. "And if you think I'm imagining the spasms of pain that flit across her face when I bring it up, you're sorely mistaken."  
  
Everyone sobered up to some degree.  
  
"Man this sucks," Kyle blurted out suddenly.  
  
"Quite," Alex agreed.  
  
Michael heaved a sigh, and glanced at Maria's expectant face. "All right," he growled. "But the first sign of EITHER of them getting hurt, or pissed at us, we pull out. Agreed?"  
  
Maria squealed and jumped into Michael's lap. "Yay! Ok, guys, my house, this Friday night, come at six so we can set up, and tell Max and Liz.."  
  
She broke off abruptly. Isabel was about to open her mouth and ask why when a shadow fell on the table, blocking the mid afternoon sun. She gulped, and began to turn, already knowing who was behind her.  
  
Sure enough, the narrowed suspicious eyes of Liz Parker bore into her own. Isabel smiled slightly. "Hey Liz. What are you still doing here? I thought you were giving Max a ride home?" Inwardly, she was giving off a familiar mantra. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.'  
  
"I could ask you guys the same question," came Liz's reply. "What are ALL of you still doing here at school? Usually, you are all bolting out of here the instant the bell rings, grumbling to yourselves about the horrific things you had to 'endure while residing in these grimy halls.' A direct quote, I believe."  
  
Why did Liz have to be so smart? And her memory.Good Lord, she was like an elephant. Isabel groaned silently. Well, it could be worse. She could be like Tess. Suddenly, Isabel was liking Liz's intellect a whole lot better now.  
  
Maria smiled brightly at Liz. Isabel smirked, wondering what type of excuse she would come up with. Anything was better than the birthday excuse. Anything.  
  
"We were just enjoying a little snack here on the quad. You know, soaking up them rays, talking, enjoying one another's company."  
  
Isabel had to resist the urge to snort. For one, because that seriously damaged your nose. For two, it was really revolting looking, and three? Three, because Maria's excuse topped the chart, pushing Kyle's out of the "lamest" excuse slot.  
  
Liz's eyes got narrower, if that were possible. But to everyone's utter relief, she turned to walk away. They were about to exhale their held breath when suddenly, as if she made a decision, Liz whirled back around and plopped down next to Kyle.  
  
"You guys wouldn't be.plotting anything.would you?" She said it slowly, letting them know how seriously skeptical she was.  
  
"Like what?" Came Maria's automatic overly cheerful response. Then she grew slyer. "There isn't anything to plot against.is there Liz?"  
  
The air reeked of tension. Isabel longed for a bird, an inane joke, SOMETHING, anything at all to break the silence.  
  
Liz glared pointedly at Maria, turning her gaze on everyone. "No," she said adamantly, and icily. "There isn't." She stood up again. "I'll see you guys later."  
  
"Oh Liz?" Maria asked sweetly, sounding perfectly like her normal self. Well as normal as Maria was anyways. "I was wondering if you would want to come to my house, Friday? At seven. We need to start up the movie night thingy again."  
  
Liz titled her head to the side thinking. "I'm pretty sure I wont be doing anything that night. My dad's going out of town again. Do you think I could spent the night?"  
  
Maria had to hide her devious grin. "Sure Liz. That'd be perfect. K, talk to you later chica!"  
  
After Liz was out of earshot, Michael rounded on Maria. "You told her to come at seven. What are we going to be doing for a whole hour?" He demanded.  
  
"Helping me set up of course! And you'll help clean up too, don't forget."  
  
"What!? What do you have to 'set up' for!? It's a frickin movie!!" Michael ceased his rant at Maria's penetrating glare. He sighed. "Just for the record, your plan had better work Maria. Or I am going to be one pissed off person."  
  
Maria patted his arm. "Michael, you are always a pissed off person. But never fear. I haven't told you guys the half of it yet." Another evil grin cracked on her usually (and falsely looking) angelic face.  
  
Isabel had to smile. Things would definitely get.interesting to say the least. Friday night madness, here they come!  
  
~*~  
  
Max wandered aimlessly around the parking lot, not ready to go sit in Liz's stifling car while he waited for her to come out. She was working on some scholarship thingy and needed a teachers help with it.  
  
No matter, though. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go. He wasn't working this week, he wasn't doing a sport, he had no date.  
  
Sigh. Of COURSE he didn't have a date.  
  
His thoughts took another melancholy turn (possibly the fifth time in the span of one minute).  
  
This whole thing with Tess?  
  
It was severely screwed up. He had messed up from the beginning with the whole garbage can thingy, and everything had gone downhill from there.  
  
Not that he didn't lack for trying. No, no, he had even taken to running his ideas by Liz or Isabel, trying to get a female input. He had tried to ask Maria's opinion, but every time he mentioned the name "Tess" she would go all matrix like on him, or take to giving his ridiculous suggestions, such as taking Tess back to where she was born (i.e. A stripper bar). Not exactly what he was looking for. It seemed to him that Maria was trying to become the male version of Kyle.  
  
Now there was a scary thought.  
  
Max exhaled loudly again, resisting the urge to kick the nearest hubcap. Things weren't looking so great right now. And he had been kind of blowing off his friends. Maybe it was time they did something like they used to do. Maybe it was time he just.  
  
"Hey Evans!"  
  
Max turned his head to the left. Jock incoming. Whoo, here we go.  
  
He was so shocked that Sean Williams knew his name, that he sort of forgot something. That something being a response to someone shouting your name across the parking lot. Etiquette Maxwell, etiquette!  
  
"Your name's Evans, right? Aw, I'm going to kill Jordan," Sean muttered.  
  
Max fought the urge to laugh. "Naw, man. That's me." He said, waiting politely, though he felt like turning around and walking away. He had never really liked Sean, and the feeling had always seemed reciprocated. Max shifted slightly, feeling it would kind of rude to demand what Sean wanted.  
  
"So. I hear you're after the unattainable Tess Harding," Sean said suddenly.  
  
Max opened his mouth to protest, shocked that Sean just came out of blue with that, but Sean chuckled, stopping him. "Don't even try and deny it Evans. Tess is my cousin."  
  
Why did he have to flush now? WHY!?  
  
"So?" Max scoffed, inwardly cringing. Someone please tell him when he returned to the age of twelve.  
  
Sean smirked at him. "Soo. I can help you."  
  
"Help me? Why the heck would I want your help?" Max demanded, not liking the way Sean's lips were curling. Freaky.  
  
"You didn't let me finish. I'll help you.on one condition." Max froze, contemplating whether or not he wanted to discover Sean's motives. Sean wasn't exactly the poster boy for morale.  
  
"Oh yea? And what's that?" He finally asked, steeling himself for any embarrassing prank he had to pull upon Sean's orders, or milk money that he would have to supply Sean with for the rest of his life.  
  
But what Sean said was the absolute LAST thing Max expected.  
  
"That you help me obtain the affection of Liz."  
  
For a minute, all Max could do was stare disbelievingly. Now, he knew there was a reason his mother insisted he clean out his ears. For surely, Sean couldn't possibly.  
  
Sean's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Liz Po- uh, Parker. You know her, right?"  
  
Know her? KNOW her? Hell, he probably knew Liz better than she knew herself! And he knew for a FACT, a set in stone FACT that Liz would rather streak the school than let Sean "obtain her affection."  
  
Once he found his voice again, Max sputtered. "Yea, I KNOW her. She's one of my best friends." He paused for a minute, not wanting the next words to come out of his mouth. "What did you mean about the affection part?" He cringed, awaiting the answer.  
  
Smiling indolently, Sean answered, "I'll help you get with Tess, if you help me with Liz. It was really simple actually. Man, and here I thought you were an honor student Maxie."  
  
Whole-heartedly resenting the jab and being called "Maxie", Max narrowed his eyes and stared thoroughly at Sean. "Why?" he demanded sharply.  
  
Sean's light colored eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" he echoed.  
  
Max knew what kind of reputation Sean had. There was NO WAY in hell he was letting scum like that near Liz. Aww, hell, there was no way he was letting ANY guy near her, not until she was thirty. Either that, or until Max himself had scrutinized the guy's every aspect.  
  
Whoa there Maxwell. Where the hell was all this overprotective junk coming from? Probably because Liz hadn't really dated that much. For the first time, Max wondered why.  
  
"Yea, WHY?" Max said. "It's not really that difficult of question Sean. And here I thought you had a decent grade point." Take THAT jerk-off.  
  
Sean, instead of getting offended like Max thought, just smirked even wider. "I would think that it would be obvious. Even to YOU Evans." Seeing that Max was clearly not cottoning on, Sean continued, a hint of exasperated amusement in his voice. "She's a babe man! You mean to tell me that you've never seen how hot Liz is?"  
  
Sean had meant it as a rhetorical question (though he most likely wasn't aware of the meaning of 'rhetorical'), but he was amazed at the pondering look on Max's face.  
  
Max was slightly stunned, feeling a jolt in his stomach. No, actually, he HADNT thought about that before.weird, how Sean was actually right about something for once.  
  
'Stop it!' Max told himself. 'She's your BEST FRIEND for God's sakes.' Oh, ok. So she was pretty. He thought Isabel was pretty but he didn't want to.oh God.eww.ew ew.  
  
Blinking hard to clear his wayward and psycho thoughts, Max focused on Sean again.  
  
"So.do we have a deal? Buddy?" Sean looked.SMUG somehow, like he just expected Max to go with his every whim and way.  
  
Max took a deep breath, feeling a burning in his stomach at the sight of Sean's overly sure of himself attitude. He quickly brushed it off, thinking.  
  
On one hand, having inside help with Tess would aid him IMMENSELY in getting her attention. Scratch that, make that POSITIVE attention. He had negative attention right now, with the whole garbage, 'you're a dork, get away from me' thing and he didn't want that. He was floundering at this whole Tess thing, and it was obvious that Sean knew that.  
  
But this was LIZ.  
  
Apart from the fact that she would KILL him, literally rip him limb from limb, if she found out he was pulling something like this behind her back, with SEAN of all people.  
  
It was Liz. He couldn't. Not even for Tess. He wasn't that desperate. Yet.  
  
He shook his head, effectively wiping off the smirk from Sean's face. Seeing Liz approaching from the corner of his eye, he quickly rushed out, "Sorry Sean. I'm not your guy for that. You're on your own."  
  
And with that, he spun around and jumped in Liz's car, just as she was walking up to it. Seeing Max's hastily retreat from the left side of the parking lot, she glanced over to see the retreating form of Sean Williams. Wrinkling her nose, she turned to Max. "What did HE want?" She asked.  
  
"Nothing," Max answered, ignoring Liz's puzzled face.  
  
Absolutely nothing at all.  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] MAX [/b]  
  
Confusion.  
  
What is confusion really?  
  
Bewilderment, perplexity, misunderstanding, puzzlement, .(Yes, Liz is right. My friend, the Thesaurus helps me out yet again. Yay)  
  
You could say that I'm confused over the meaning of the word confused.  
  
I lost you didn't I?  
  
Yup? Well good, then I won't be alone.  
  
I guess I'm just nostalgic for a month ago. A month ago, when I had everything figured out. A month ago, when I knew exactly what I was going to do.  
  
What happened to a month ago?  
  
I'll tell you what happened. All my meticulous planning and my rock hard certainty went down the crapper with the rest of the shit.  
  
[I]Flush.[/I]  
  
Now? Now things are all messed up. Tess is disturbed at the sight of psycho can killer me, Maria I think is mad at me, Michael, Isabel, Alex and Kyle think I am sick in the head for going after Tess, and Liz.?  
  
Something's up with her. I don't know WHAT exactly, but something's weird.  
  
But I digress. She has been standing by me the entire way with this Tess thing. Thing. Why do I call it a thing? Probably because, hell, what else am I going to call it? Its just.there.not a relationship, not really.it's a.it's a.  
  
It's a thing.  
  
Well, as long as we got that cleared up.  
  
Anyways, back to Liz. One of the sources of confusion. She's been helping me wonderfully (so much, I think I need to buy her a chocolate bar again, or something) but it seems.  
  
It seems like she's well.  
  
Forcing herself to do so?  
  
Naw. Why would she do that? She has made it very clear that on no occasion does Liz Parker do something that she doesn't want to do. It's like a world known fact. Well, that, and the fact that I am pathetically after Tess. I swear, no one in high school has their own life. Why else would they be so preoccupied with MY love life (read between the lines: lack of) when they should be worrying about their own?  
  
But whatever. I'm probably just sleep deprived or something. If something were going on, Liz would TELL me.  
  
Right?  
  
But there's more. Hoo boy, is there more.  
  
Something happened today. Very **strange**  
  
Sean Williams came up to me (no that is not the strange thing. Albeit it was very weird, that's not what I'm getting at here). He wanted to make a little deal with me. I help him get with Liz, and he helps me with Tess.  
  
Simple pimple, right?  
  
NOT.  
  
For one, it's Sean. Lord knows the boy always has ulterior motives. I'm still waiting for them to be revealed, like it was a dare, a prank, or something equally as horrifying that belongs in one of those Teen Movies that Maria adores so much.  
  
But that didn't really confuse me. No, what I'm talking about is what Sean pointed out while asking for my help (in a roundabout way mind you).  
  
What he pointed out to me is that Liz is a GIRL. (I see you all rolling your eyes, and I kindly ask you to stop and read on before you completely shun me for my apparent redundancy).  
  
See, the confusing thing is, I never really thought about her like that before. I just accepted the fact that she was pretty and got on with it. But now?  
  
But now what Maxwell? So what? So some jock wants in Liz's pants. What does that have to do with anything regarding your plans with Tess?  
  
Oh God. If Sean wants in Liz's pants, I may just have to kill him. SLOWLY.  
  
Argh. Maybe Tess has the right idea. [b]I'm[/b] getting disturbed at the sight of my psychotic thoughts. What is WRONG with me?  
  
Aha! I know. I've got it all figured out now. I'm just getting all big brother-ish on Liz, because this type of thing hasn't really ever happened before. It's like the way I got with Alex, when he started dating Izzy.  
  
Yea. That's it.  
  
Well good. Now I can rot in peace now that I've got that all figured out.  
  
Great.  
  
Authors Note: For Ernie.;) 


	5. Part Six

Authors Note: For Ernie.;) There's going to be a couple of parts coming up in a little while (that is if I can get my arse in gear) where there won't be POV's. Fear not, it won't last long. But enjoy them while you can. Also, both POV's are next to each in this part, and yes, I did that on purpose. Urm, be kind with this part. I somewhat despise it. But it needed to pave way for the next parts, and its been a while (coughunderstatementcough) so I'll let it go finally.  
  
[b]"Sometimes Ignorance Rings True"[/b]  
  
~*~POV~*~  
  
[b] LIZ [/b]  
  
Ask anyone to describe me pre-inane-infatuation period and they would scoff at you.  
  
"Pu-leeze. Gimme a hard one next time," they would say and proceed to ramble dutifully how I am calm, and in complete control of my emotions. That I'm smart, and able to smell a scheme a mile away.  
  
Though I do need to know.what exactly does a scheme reek of?  
  
Don't answer that. (Kyle's gym socks? Unlikely. But plausible.)  
  
Ironic isn't it? That Max is somehow turning me into a different person.  
  
I used to be calm; now I'm frantic.  
  
I used to be in complete control of my emotions; (do I really need to say it? I think you could just leave it at that and the past experiences to speak for themselves. But redundancy is life so I shall continue anyways. Who knows, maybe its good therapy. Or perhaps there are a few dim among you out there, I don't know.) and now I am well.not.  
  
You could say that that was the understatement of the millennia.  
  
And if I'm so smart, than why the hell cant I figure out a way to get on with my life, to push through this blah period filled with mishaps and miseries? Why cant I figure out a way to flatten these 'feelings'?  
  
But one thing's for sure. I can still smell a scheme a mile away. Or so I would like to think (denial's nifty like that).  
  
However, NOW ask anyone today to describe me and they would probably have to stop and consider the idea.  
  
My father would blather on the above-mentioned typical statement, only because he's oblivious as of now as to how my life is taking a crash collision course (zoooom, screeetch! And CRASH).  
  
Maria, Alex, Isabel and Michael would say I'm an obsessed lovesick best friend who needs to get over herself and go for it. They'd probably throw in dense too, as they think I'm not on to them (suckers.).  
  
Kyle would most likely say I'm a petite brunette with perky breasts and (insert crude statement that is probably more true than I would like to admit) ass. Ahh, good ole Kyle. The one congruency.  
  
And Max.? I'm not sure if he knows me at all lately.  
  
On the way home that day he asked me what was wrong. (Break out the gold star. He notices something other than what Tess was wearing today). When I gave my usual response of "nothing," he said I've been weird all month.  
  
Loser. I have NOT been weird. At all. Nada. Ziltch. Absolutely spiffing thank you.  
  
God I'm good at lying.especially to myself.  
  
Except in one respect. But you could have told me that.  
  
[b]MAX[/b]  
  
Trust is an interesting concept. There are some people of whom are instantaneously likeable. The type of people who are dependable, who you confide in without a second's doubt and entrust them to have pure resolves. The kind of people you think 'hey, I could really trust this guy.'  
  
And then there are guys like Sean.  
  
I don't trust this Sean guy any farther than I can throw him.  
  
And considering the fact that he is 170 pounds of football jock, I wouldn't be throwing him very far. I'm not exactly 'Mighty Max.'  
  
Ooo, Mighty Max. I like that. Saving the world's best friends from slimy not-so-good-intentional jocks everywhere. Complete with a manly man looking costume.  
  
Except I cant really see myself in one of those get ups.  
  
The dashing cape? Possibly.  
  
The clinging tights? Not so much.  
  
Now that I've had a chance to think about the whole exchange (between me and Sean, not between capes and tights), I have to wonder.what if Sean's being sincere?  
  
I know, I know. Sean Williams, your resident jack ass? Sincere? HIM?  
  
As incredulous as that sounds, I can't help but wonder. What if he's just like me? Pining after someone who would never in their right mind give you the time of day. Finally growing the balls to try and do something about that. And confusing the hell out of yourself along the way. What if?  
  
[I]What if[/I] Those seemingly insignificant words started this whole thing this year. I didn't want to wake up ten years from now and contemplate those two words. But what I didn't realize is that I would be facing that phrase *now* on my way to getting to confident assurance. \  
  
But it's SEAN. How could he possibly be genuine? Should I even bother myself about it? Why do I care so much?  
  
Because. I unexplainably do. When Liz gets involved, it just happens.  
  
But really. Why bother about if it wouldn't change the sad look in Liz's eyes, that look I see sometimes, the poignant glint that makes her eyes dull and makes me want to scream, makes me want to make it better? She hates the guy's guts anyways. Right?  
  
Again, I have to ask myself why the hell I got my brain all twisted around over some weird tête-à-tête with Sean. And also why my stomach molds into a knot when I even think of Sean touching Liz.  
  
Sometimes I have to ask myself if it's really worth it. Sometimes I have to ask myself if my priorities are really all that straight. Sometimes my brain feels like its about to implode with all the spinning.  
  
Sometimes I get so weird I even freak myself out.  
  
[b]~*~Part Six~*~[/b]  
  
"So, um, are you going to this thing tonight at Maria's?" Liz asked cautiously, her eyes staring at the dusty road ahead of her. For one thing, when you were driving it was usually a good idea to look where you were going. Usually. And for another thing, looking out the windshield protected Liz from the confusing, heartrending task of looking at Max Evans.  
  
He had been acting strange the whole car ride. He wasn't the most talkative person she knew, but he had always been able to talk about [I]something[/I] to her. But now he was broodingly silent. She didn't know what to make of it. But then, her mind wasn't exactly a sound place to be these days. So maybe she was just projecting. She didn't know, and quite frankly she was tired of trying to find out. Tired of trying to find out where the jumpy, heart rushing feeling came from whenever she looked at Max, tired of trying to find out WHY Max was talking to Sean of all people, tired of trying to find out why Sean was seemingly interested anyways, and to find out what exactly Maria and Company were up to.  
  
Bah. To hell with questions right now. Right now all Liz wanted to do was get home as fast as possible, and bury her qualms where they belonged - smashed into her pillow.  
  
Max had been looking pensively out the window the entire time, but at Liz's question he started. Not for the first time, Liz's mind flooded with a barrage of inquiries.  
  
*No. No, no, no Parker. These questions don't exist, remember?*  
  
Max eyed her questioningly. "What thing?"  
  
Liz forced her eyes to face the road again. "Um, the movie night. She didn't tell you?"  
  
Max shook his head slowly. "Nope." He returned to his perusal of the desert flying by. "She actually hasn't had much to say to me lately, except how idiotic I am for wanting Tess."  
  
Liz tried not to flinch. Really she did. But as expected, her body was not hers to control anymore. She was possessed with some cruel, unwavering spirit - one that was apparently intent of driving her insane with painful wrenches of the heart.  
  
She chose not to say anything. Thick, heavy silence hung in the air above them and threatened to crush down upon them. Liz gave an involuntary, long sigh. Immediately, she regretted doing so when she noticed Max dart a concerned glance over at her.  
  
"Liz, is everything ok?" Max's liquid brown eyes sought out her own. She instantly skirted his gaze and concern.  
  
She forced a laugh to tear out her throat and attempted to paste a smile on her face. Except what came out was closer to a grimace. "I'm fine, Max." She shot a quick glance at him and this time successfully flashed her thousand-watt smile. "Why?" She kept the suspicion out of her voice, but secretly her nerves her crusting into steel. She swore to God, if Maria had said ANYTHING to Max about.ARGH.best friend or no best friend, Maria was going to get her ass kicked.  
  
Liz's concerns were assuaged when Max just emitted a sigh of his own. "I don't know. You just seem.different lately. Sadder."  
  
Well, so much for alleviation, Liz thought.  
  
"Sadder?" She echoed. Was she really that unhappy that Max had noticed? MAX of all people. The one she was doing her best to dupe. The one who she made SURE knew nothing of the inward turmoil she was facing.  
  
And besides, it wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything. So she had some sort of weird.pull towards Max lately, pull that threatened everything normal, every thing ordinary in such a way that forced her to keep it to herself. So what? It wasn't like she hadn't kept things secret before. It wasn't like she had lost his presence in her life for good or anything. It wasn't as if they weren't still friends.was it? Had she really changed [I] that[/I] much?  
  
The thing was though, she had never really kept anything of this magnitude from Max before. But there was a point to it. If she didn't keep these feelings downtrodden, there was a definite chance that she would lose him forever. Their easy friendship would be ruined for good. There would be no going back, no do-over, no hit delete and try and again. And she didn't think she could live with that. She couldn't not have Max in her life. Any way was better than none, and if she let him in on how she was really starting to feel, than he would most definitely run screaming in the other direction. And that.that she wouldn't be able to handle. Which was why she was doing this.  
  
Knowing all the reasons, however, did not make the days go by any easier. And it wouldn't make sitting next to him in the dark tonight any easier either.  
  
"Yes. Sadder," Max was reiterating. Liz blinked hard and returned her attention to the real Max - not just her psycho thoughts about him, about a fantasy that could never be.  
  
"I'm [I]fine[/I]," she repeated. She could practically feel Max hesitate.  
  
"Well, ok then. If you're sure?" His voice rose an octave, his last statement coming out interrogative.  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Fantastic."  
  
"I think that's enough adjectives for now."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
~*~  
  
"Busty Biker Babes: The Movie? Busty Biker Babes: The Movie TWO!?" Maria stared incredulously at the two videotapes in her hands and subsequently pierced Kyle with a malicious glare.  
  
"What?" Kyle asked innocuously as he leaned back into the plush gray couch of the Deluca home. "You said we needed something to get Max all hard up."  
  
Maria groaned in exasperation, and just barely resisted whacking herself (and Kyle for that matter) over the head with the revolting, demoralizing tapes. "Kyle, that was NOT what I meant and you know it. This idea wasn't just an excuse for you to go out and rent porn!" She felt like screaming in vexation. So far her idea looked like it was going to be a bust, and then she, Auntie Maria, knower of all, would look insanely ridiculous. Not to mention that it wouldn't help Max and Liz any, and the two would be stuck back in the big vat of mishaps and igorance that kept growing larger with everyday.  
  
"I don't think Kyle ever really needs an excuse to go out and get porn." Isabel rolled her eyes, stood up from the rocking chair and joined Maria in glaring at the man in question.  
  
Michael leaned over the couch closer to Kyle. "How DID you get it Valenti?" He asked, in slight awe that Kyle had managed to not get carded.  
  
Kyle smirked. "I know a guy."  
  
Alex snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"  
  
"Because it's Kyle." Isabel supplied.  
  
Kyle gave a shout of indignation. "Hey! I'm not THAT predictable. I think other things.like.cars.and.pranks.and.uhm."  
  
Maria gave Michael a pained look. "Make him stop." Then her green eyes glittered with fury. "And what exactly did you mean 'how did Kyle get it.' Are you thinking of going out and polluting your brain with this.this." She brandished the videos. "Trash?"  
  
Michael winced and scanned the room for a possible distraction. "Umm, no, you see.Oh My God!"  
  
Maria's perfectly sculpted eyebrow shot up in skepticism. "Don't think I don't see right through your attempt to just." Her eyes skittered around to follow where Michael was currently gazing with horror and she gasped.  
  
"Oh My God!" She echoed Michael. "No! Argh! You guys are just so typical. We're LATE! Max and Liz are going to be here any second!" Trying not to panic, Maria dumped the rest of the videos on the table. When no one had showed up on time (Maria included) Michael, Kyle, and Isabel had been in charge of getting possible movie choices while Maria and Alex prepared the house. Maria silently fumed. This whole night was already off to a wrong start. Why did nothing ever go as meticulously planned? All right, so this whole thing was rather just thrown together at the last minute, but still. Even last minute preparation took some thought. Or at least SHE had given it some thought. The others thinking processes (or lack of) had yet to be determined.  
  
Suddenly, Maria was afraid. Very, very afraid. If Kyle's choices had been any indication about what else was about to pop out of the bag, she should be running shrieking to the nearest exit. Tentatively, she flipped the videos over so the labels showed.  
  
Scoffing, she picked up the one on top and turned to Michael with a dismayed expression marring her usually open face. "American Pie?"  
  
"What?" Michael's hands shot up to typify his exclamation. "Hey, its better than what SHE got," he muttered as he nodded at Isabel, who scowled back.  
  
Maria rubbed her fingers into her scalp. No wonder this evening was going to suck, with fellow conspirators like these. She held up the other two and faced Isabel. "Casablanca? A Walk To Remember? Are we trying to make them MORE depressed than they already are?"  
  
Isabel opened her mouth furiously to object. "They're great movies!"  
  
"Yea, when you're looking for a good cry."  
  
Isabel arched her eyebrow. "I don't know.I thought maybe Liz sniffling.Max comforting her.you know." She suddenly looked quite uncomfortable.  
  
Alex laughed. "Come on Isabel. I wanna hear you say it."  
  
She flicked her blonde curls over her shoulder and bestowed Alex with a particular murderous look, and he became immediately contrite.  
  
Maria shot another concerned look at the treacherous clock. She could have sworn that it was working against them. Damn those moving hands. "What are we going to do? They'll be here any minute and all we have are the horn ball movies from hell!"  
  
Kyle grabbed his tapes and clutched them to his chest. "Hey!"  
  
Isabel sighed and thought for a minute. "Why don't we use the movies you own? Do you have any that will fit "your" requirements?" It was apparent that she was still a bit miffed about Maria's curt dismissal of the movie's she picked out.  
  
Maria's eyes widened and sparkled once more. "Oh yeah!" She rushed for the polished wooden cabinet standing next to the large screened television set. She ripped open the doors and began strewing cassettes and DVD's left and right. There had to be some in here.her mother was obsessed with movies. Well, so was she for that matter (there was just something about loosing yourself in another world for an hour or two.) but.  
  
"How about this?" She yelled, waving one in the air. Isabel wandered over to help out, while Kyle and Michael sat back down on the couch to stuff their face full of the popcorn that was in front of them. Alex peered at them with an amused look.  
  
"Isn't that for when Max and Liz get here?"  
  
Kyle shrugged, his mouth full of popcorn.  
  
Michael, however, had no qualms with speaking with his jaws crammed with mashed food particles. "Hoo cars?" He mumbled, his words almost completely incomprehensible.  
  
"That's lovely, Michael, real lovely" Alex commented, torn between laughing maniacally at Michael's ridiculously rude behavior or wrinkling his nose in disgust.  
  
Meanwhile, Isabel was evaluating the movie Maria had picked out. She reached over, picked the box up with a perfectly manicured hand and stared at Maria dubiously.  
  
"Are you sure about this one?"  
  
Maria ruffled in annoyance. "Why not? It's an awesome movie, AND it's about a girl coming to terms with feelings for her best friend. It's perfect!"  
  
Isabel took a deep breath. "Um, Ria, you do remember how this one ends, don't you?"  
  
Maria's olive eyes brightened with realization. "Yea, the best friend ends up.oh. Marrying the skanky blonde bimbo." Er, yea. That probably would not help Liz's mood any. And probably go straight over Max's pointy little head. God, he was dense sometimes.  
  
Um, make that most of the time.  
  
Maria shoved My Best Friend's Wedding back where she got it and froze when she heard the doorbell. Oh, great. Just freaking perfect. They were here already and they didn't have a movie to watch, and nothing was in place. She was about ready to abdicate the whole plan and think of something else.  
  
"God, we are so screwed, and we haven't even started! Jeez! If you all hadn't been LATE, maybe this would have went a little more unproblematic."  
  
"Christ Maria! We weren't going to show up a whole HOUR beforehand? We do have lives you know."  
  
"Um, actually Kyle, no. No we don't."  
  
"But still, you do have a point there man. A whole hour wouldn't have made a difference. Maybe a few DAYS."  
  
"Ha, ha, you three are all *really* funny."  
  
Isabel smoothed her hair with her hands and heaved a sigh. "Look, we might as well just put on American Pie," Michael whooped loudly, spraying more popcorn over the couch (and Kyle, who grimaced and shoved him in retribution), "And try and salvage the rest of the night. Besides," Isabel continued. "It's not like their going to figure out everything in one night. This is just going to be the tip of the scale. Did you really think that Max was just going to randomly realize that's his feelings are seriously misplaced? And did you really think he was going to realize that with US in the room and with a cheesy teen flick in the background?"  
  
"Why thank you, Isabel," Maria crossed her eyes. "Dash everything why don't you. Ms. Demolish All Plans And Ideas. You're probably the one who goes around telling little kids that's there's no such thing as Santa Claus, you dream snatcher you."  
  
Alex gasped vociferously in horror and his dark eyes bulged. "What?! What did you just say?" His hand flew up to his chest. "That's blasphemy!"  
  
Michael rolled his eyes. "Alex, anyone who can say the word blasphemy should know better than that."  
  
Kyle glanced at the hallway leading to the front door. "Is anyone going to let Max and Liz in?"  
  
Maria growled in frustration and pounded down to jerk open the door.  
  
Max and Liz were standing awkwardly, as far away from each other as they could possibly be while still standing on the same porch. Maria gulped. This was starting to look all varieties of bad. And oh look! The night had yet to even begin.  
  
Max was staring at Maria a little funny. "What?" She spat out, her nerves already frazzled. At once she felt guilty when Max's eyes widened.  
  
"Um, Maria? Are you okay?" His voice was coated with concern, and Maria softened. It wasn't his fault she was so stressed right now.  
  
No wait. Yes it was. If he would just wake up and smell the coffee in Liz's hand, than this whole thing would be put out of its palpable misery.  
  
"I'm great," she answered finally. "Come on in guys. We're um." She paused as the trio shuffled into the living room and sighed once more. "I guess we're watching American Pie."  
  
Silently, Michael pummeled his fists into the air and Maria pierced him with an annoyed look.  
  
Hoo boy.  
  
Damage control. They needed some MAJOR damage control.  
  
Make that sooner, rather than later.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Max shifted restlessly as the air in the room grew heavy with tense unease. Was it him, or did everyone just sort of get.quiet all of a sudden?  
  
He shrugged it off. Whatever. It wasn't like his mind was exactly all that concise tonight. He ambled over to the loveseat and sank down into it. God, he was so looking forward to some time alone with his friends - no worries, no confusions.and best of all.no trust issues. Time to veg out in front of some mindless movie and just be MAX. Stress free.  
  
Liz stood stiffly in the same spot in which she had stepped into when she first entered the room five minutes ago. Max frowned.  
  
Okay. So maybe this night wouldn't exactly be as void of confusion as he thought it would be. He still had no idea what was wrong with Liz. No idea of what caused the shadows to mar her usually deep bright brown eyes. And quite frankly, it worried him.  
  
His perplexity grew as he watched Liz go to sit across the room from him in between Alex and Kyle on the couch, and even more so when Isabel quickly darted in front of Liz to plop down next to her boyfriend. Maria simultaneously snatched up the only other remaining seat - other than the one next to Max himself - and perched herself on the chair with Michael. Max's brow furrowed even more at seeing Liz shoot Maria a sour look, and Maria peer up in an innocent yet smug way.  
  
What the hell?  
  
Again, Max shrugged it off and presented Liz with his usual lopsided grin as she hesitantly sat down. "Guess your stuck next to me again," he said, his statement pertaining a subliminal message imploring why Liz seemingly did not want to sit next to him when it was her usual spot. "Don't worry. I don't bite. Hard."  
  
Liz gave a laugh that ended as abruptly as it began and inched as far away from Max as she could.  
  
Okaaay. Something was definitely wrong here. Was she just tired? Or was it something else?  
  
Max cleared his throat, the sound slicing through the solitude. "So um, are we going to put in the movie?"  
  
Alex nodded a little too enthusiastically.  
  
[I]He must have noticed the same discomfiture I did,[/I] thought Max.  
  
"Yes! That we are Maxwell, that we are." Alex picked up the bowl of popcorn that had somehow landed in his lap and went to place it on the table in front of him. Unfortunately, his aim had always left something to be desired, and he accidentally tipped the bowl a little too far as he reached over Isabel to place it down, and greasy popcorn went all over Kyle.  
  
Kyle let an outraged cry escape his throat, and he immediately grabbed a handful of the stuff to strike back. However, in his indignation, Kyle missed his target horribly, the flying kernels defaulting to.Isabel. Isabel and her nice, crisp clean shirt. Max chuckled softly as he watched Kyle's face fall at the sight of what had happened, and the fact that Isabel was swelling in anger.  
  
Pretty soon there was popcorn flying all over the room, as Michael and Maria quickly got up to join the fun.  
  
Max let his eyes be amused with the observation of Maria's unsuccessful attempt to cram her mouth shut while Michael shoved popcorn through, Kyle with popcorn somehow in his hair and Isabel shrieking deafeningly as Alex unintentionally (Max was so sure) shoved buttery morsels down her back, before his gaze wandered to the small table beside the loveseat, and the certain object on top of it.  
  
Another bowl of popcorn.  
  
His face cracked into a wicked smirk and he snuck a quick look at Liz. She was staring at the couch where the popcorn fight was currently taking place with a small smile on her face, but her eyes were distant, as if she were lost in thought while surveying Maria, Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Alex.  
  
Wordlessly, Max languidly snaked his hand over and filled his fist with an abundance of the fluffy snack. With Liz still carefully fitted in the corner of his eye, he discreetly moved his hand in position and waited until the last moment to attack.  
  
Regrettably, Liz had always had good reflexes, and she saw Max as he started to pounce on her. She swiftly bolted upwards, causing Max to crash headlong into the armrest on the right side. Grimacing ruefully, he looked up to see Liz standing over him, biting her lip to keep from laughing. For some odd reason, his stomach lurched at that moment.  
  
"Don't think I'm not going to get you for that Parker," Max growled, his bruised forehead and the levity written on Liz's face making him all the more determined to get her back. He scooped up the dropped popcorn and lunged at her again.  
  
Once more, she was too fast, and sidestepped him completely. But Max had been expecting that this time. He maneuvered himself in sync with her, and chucked the popcorn right in her face. Direct hit. Kernels bounced off her perfectly shocked etched face.  
  
[I]Gotcha[/I]  
  
Max smirked and stood there for a minute, admiring his handiwork. Liz's eyes were wide with disbelief, mirth, and a thirst for vindication. He also noted happily that they were almost sparkling in the way they used to - before the shadows and clouded over expression took place. Almost.  
  
Apparently, Max stood there for a little too long and the next thing he knew, he found himself splattered in the face with the popcorn and looking at Liz's pleased expression.  
  
"Oh, you are so going to get it for that!" He bellowed at Liz, who had already taken off running in the opposite direction, giggling as she went. He tore off after her with only one thought in mind and they circled the room a few times breathlessly before he cornered her with only the table separating them. He faked a left, and then charged towards the right, where Liz was dodging too in order to evade him. Grabbing her by the waist, he flung both of them back down onto the loveseat and smashed the light feathery kernels everywhere his hands could find.  
  
All of a sudden, he found himself showered with greasy seeds and pieces of white kernels, and a small tin bowl atop his head, adorning his scalp like a cap. It looked as if Liz had reached behind her to grab the full bowl and subsequently dumped the entire thing on his head. He gazed down at her nonplussed, wondering for a minute where the bowl had come from.  
  
Liz burst out laughing, her giggles ringing sweetly in his ear.  
  
"What?" He queried, lifting the bowl off of him and setting it on the floor.  
  
"Your face!" She gasped out between guffaws. "You look so funny covered with popcorn!" She dissolved into laughter again. She was right of course. The whole couch was sprinkled with fluffy mounds of it, and his hair most likely mirrored it.  
  
Max's eyes narrowed in a mock glare. "Oh yeah?"  
  
Liz grinned and nodded, still chortling.  
  
"Maybe it will be funnier if I do THIS," Max cried, and he maneuvered his self so he was directly on top of her. His fingers wriggled perilously, and then assailed into Liz's rib cage - her most ticklish spot.  
  
"Stop! Max! Ah, STOP," Liz screeched, her words drowned out by her panting giggles as she tried to wrench his hands away from her. Max grinned as she continued to sequel, and if anything he increased the fervor of his attack, ignoring her feeble attempts to make him stop.  
  
Liz tried to dig her fingers into his shoulders and push him off of her, but she only succeeded in moving him an inch or so away. Max smiled; he was obviously the stronger one here. His smile quickly faded, however, at the sensation of Liz's fingernails gnawing into his shoulders instead.  
  
"Hey, no fair! I don't have claws like you. Unfair advantage," Max said, although he didn't lessen his tickle attack on her sides.  
  
Liz scoffed. "Yea, but you weigh, like twice as much as me!"  
  
Their eyes locked, and Max watched as the familiar twinkle, the proverbial spark that had always been in Liz's eyes - save for the past month or so - dimmed slightly, until it faded into.something else. Her eyes darkened considerably and suddenly Max had to wonder why he was so out of breath. Was it really just from the popcorn fight? His fingers stilled on her sides and lingered there for a moment. Liz stopped laughing.  
  
Whoa. He hadn't known her eyes could go dark like that.  
  
Abruptly, Liz's eyes drifted down and gazed at.gazed at his lips?  
  
Why would Liz be looking at his lips? Did he have like, popcorn hanging out them or something?  
  
His stomach chose to do that weird lurch thing again.  
  
"Max," Liz breathed. Her eyes still bore into his own, still darkly beautiful, and she looked on the verge of saying something. He unconsciously drifted closer, so close that their noses were almost touching. And all he could see was brown, deep sweet chocolaty brown filling his vision. He heard Liz draw in a sharp intake of breath. "Max," she gasped again.  
  
It suddenly occurred to Max what was going on here. Boy, was he an idiot.  
  
He quickly got up from atop her, and sat upright. "I'm sorry Liz," he said. "I was crushing you wasn't I?"  
  
Confusion swam in her eyes. "What?"  
  
He grinned wryly at her and joked in their usual manner. "You know, with my little tickle attack? I was cutting off your air supply. Sorry. I tend to forget sometimes that you ingenious people need to breath just like the rest of us."  
  
Liz's face shuttered immediately, and she slowly drew herself up. "Oh. Yea, um" She snorted. "Yea. That was it." She stood up abruptly and glared pointedly at Maria, Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Alex, all who were peering interestedly at Max (or they were. Now their expressions bore exasperated disappointment for some odd reason). "I have to use the restroom," Liz continued. "You can all start the movie without me."  
  
Max frowned. Wait a minute. He thought that he had gotten rid of whatever thing had caused Liz to shut off like that, of whatever thing had clouded her eyes with that gloomy hollow. What happened? And what was really wrong, and why wouldn't she tell him?  
  
So maybe this night wasn't as stress and worry free as he believed it would be.  
  
It was then that he realized he hadn't really thought about Tess tonight. At all.  
  
Huh.  
  
He stared down towards the door where Liz had disappeared into, despite the facts that the previews started up.  
  
Huh. 


End file.
